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Lecture Rehearsals: 3.4. World War II

What I am going to try to teach tomorrow, 2021-10-12 Tu

Brad DeLong

Oct 12, 2021

3.4. World War II

67:00 total…

3.4.1. Lecture—World War II: Overview

Structures, tides—but also the flaps of butterfly wings and chaos make history. World War II is very much a case of the last of these. Our world today would be very different had World War II not happened as it did. (07:51)

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/lecture-3.4.1.pptx>

3.4.2. Lecture—World War II Origins

It is astonishing that after World War I anybody wanted to do "world war" again. Yet the Nazi and Imperial Japanese governments were willing to launch wars. And the allies—Poland, Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Greece, Yugoslavia, the USSR, and the USA were willing to fight to oppose them. (26:38)

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/lecture-3.4.2.pptx>

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3.4.3. Lecture—Blitzkrieg

World War I was profoundly shaped by the tactical and operational power of the Nazi—German—Prussian army. (11:45)

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/lecture-3.4.3.pptx>

3.4.4. Lecture—Strategy & Logistics

Strategic, grand strategic, and logistical deficits—overwhelming—doomed the axis powers to defeat in World War II. Truth be told, even the best strategy would almost surely not have saved them. The logistical deficit coupled with the grand-strategic deficit was too great. Grand strategy—their war aims, and their choice of enemies—was dictated by the character of the axis regimes. And the logistical deficits were long baked in the cake. (14:09)

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/lecture-3.4.4.pptx>

3.4.5. Lecture—World War II's End

The butcher’s bill. And some what-ifs. (06:37)

Slides: <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/lecture-3.4.5.pptx>

Readings:

DeLong, Slouching Towards Utopia ch 10 <https://github.com/braddelong/public-files/blob/master/readings/2021-07-31-slouching-%23tocopyedit.pdf>