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Consider the ways that societies remember conflict and genocide, and think about how these memorials affect how we confront history and make a difference in the future.

From Ervin Staub's book, The Roots of Evil: The Origins of Genocide and Other Group Violence, this excerpt examines the psychological and social background of the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.

Learn about how the Allies established the international tribunal that was responsible for conducting the trials of Germany’s leaders after World War II.

Evaluate the state of World War II in 1941 using maps and historical context.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Japan began to develop its own imperial ambitions. With its growing population and need for natural resources, it began to pursue its expansionist ambitions more aggressively. It established a military draft in 1872, forcing all able-bodied males between the ages of 17 or 18 and 35, regardless of class, to serve a mandatory term of three years in the reserves and subjecting them to the military draft at age 20. Many Japanese, including peasants and samurai, opposed mandatory military service. For the samurai it signaled the end of their social standing, as they were now sharing military service with what they called “dirt farmers.” For the peasants, the expectation of military service was viewed as a “blood tax” since the idea of dying for Japan, the nation that gave them so little, was not welcomed.