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World War II: The Costs

Driving Question: What were the consequences of World War II?

The cost of World War II can’t be measured in numbers alone. This lesson explores the human toll of global war and the birth of nuclear-age diplomacy.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Use evidence to support and evaluate claims about global conflict.
  2. Use the historical thinking practice of comparison to evaluate continuities between the First and Second World Wars.
  3. Use evidence to explore how people and nations experienced, remembered, and responded to the costs of World War II.
STEP 1

Opener: World War II: The Costs

Investigate big ideas about the global conflicts of the twentieth century, using claim-testing strategies to decide which narratives are supported by evidence and which ones deserve a second look.

STEP 2

A Shattered World

World War II left behind devastation on a scale the world had never seen. With these materials, you'll examine the staggering human cost of the war and explore the idea that the First and Second World Wars were part of a single, decades-long conflict.

The Fallen External link

World War II was devastating on a scale never seen before. This video uses data visualization to reveal the staggering human cost of the war.

Key Ideas

As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
STEP 3

Never Again

These materials explore the policies, people, and decisions that made the Holocaust possible. Through personal accounts, legal responses, and global debates, you’ll examine how societies remember violence, assign responsibility, and defend human rights.

STEP 4

The Bomb

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the Second World War, but at an enormous human cost. Consider multiple historical perspectives on why the bombs were used, and evaluate their impact on war, diplomacy, and the modern world.

STEP 5

Closer: World War II: The Costs

Use this informal writing opportunity to connect what you’ve learned about the First World War to big ideas in the course. Consider how conflict, governance, and global connections shaped people’s experiences and transformed the world.

Extension Materials
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These additional materials help develop historical thinking and writing practices and reveal the human, political, and cultural impacts of global conflict.
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Art in a Time of War

The world wars didn’t just change borders—they changed how people saw the world. This article offers a creative lens through which to see how artists processed the loss, nationalism, and resilience that accompanied global conflict.