Essay Problem: World War
Parker, The Second World War, Ch. 18, "The impact of war: casualties, crisis, and change," pages 280-304
Michael Bess, Choices Under Fire, Ch. 11, "Justice for the Unspeakable? The Enduring Legacy of the War Crimes Trials at Nuremberg and Tokyo," pages 263-286; Ch. 12, "Generations Under a Shadow: The Challenge of Peace Since Hiroshima," pages 287-308; Ch. 13, "The Politics of Memory: Remembering and Unremembering Wartime," pages 309-335; "Conclusion: What Would be the Opposite of Hitler's World," pages 336-346
Essay I: Discuss the development of the post-war military tribunals in Germany and Japan. Who organized the trials, along what lines, and for what purpose? What leaders were prosecuted and for what types of crimes? What was the legal basis or precedent for such trials? Did they provide true "justice" or were they simply arbitrary shows of power, such as the show trials put on in the Soviet Union during the Great Purge of the late 1930s or during the reign of the Nazis in Germany? What has been the legacy of these tribunals in the modern day?
Essay II: Evaluate the efforts, as discussed in Choices Under Fire, to interpret and make sense of World War II in those countries most profoundly impacted by the conflict, such as Germany, Russia, the United States, Great Britain, and Japan (not to mention China, which has put greater stock in the post-Civil War Communist legacy). In your opinion, based on readings and observations, what continues to be the most profound legacy of World War II in the modern day? Why?
The response must include a reference list. Using one-inch margins, double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.