The Second World War was the deadliest conflict in history, with an estimated 80 million killed. A huge number of casualties were civilians, with nearly 6 million Jews alone murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
Almost every country in the world participated in some way and massive technological developments took place in the scramble for total war. Tanks and aircraft played a significant role in battle and the first atomic bombs were deployed by the United States on Japan.
The peace that was eventually brokered laid the foundation for the Cold War. But how was that peace reached? Our free downloadable classroom poster will help students better understand the timeline of events.
The best way to bring the end of WW2 to life?
Visit some of the key locations yourselves.
You could head to Normandy to learn more about D-Day and how that turned the tide for the Allies. Or visit Japan to see the effects of the atomic bomb and see how locals have turned ruins into a monument to peace.
You could even head to Germany and Poland to find out more about the rise of the Nazis and the horrors of the Holocaust.
Dunkirk
On your school trip to Dunkirk, your students will explore the story of the Dunkirk Evacuation, find out more about life in France under Nazi occupation and learn more about the technological advances that took place over the course of the war.
Normandy
Explore the D-Day landing beaches of Normandy and learn more about how this was one of the key turning points of the Second World War.
You’ll find out what it was like for soldiers and locals, and you’ll explore the incredible feats of engineering that allowed this amphibious invasion to take place.
You can even stay in purpose-built accommodation close to the beaches where Allied forces landed on 6th June 1944.
Berlin
Berlin is a history teacher’s paradise – there are so many fantastic visits and activities here that will help your students really get to grips with how Adolf Hitler and the Nazis came to power in the first place.
There’s also plenty of opportunity to learn about the end of WW2, the fall of the Nazis and everything that came next, from the Allied occupation of Berlin to the Cold War, the building of the Berlin Wall and the eventual reunification of Germany.
Munich
For groups focusing on the rise of the Nazis, Munich’s a great choice for a history school trip.
You’ll explore the roots of the Nazi Party and key events in Hitler’s path to power (like the Beer Hall Putsch).
You’ll learn more about the home-grown resistance to the Nazis by groups like the White Rose Foundation.
And you’ll find out how prominent Nazis were brought to justice after the war at the Nuremberg Trials.
Krakow
Explore the history of Krakow’s historic Jewish community before its destruction during the Holocaust. Of course, a visit to Auschwitz is an important (though terribly difficult) element of every history school trip to Poland.
There, your students will discover the human cost of prejudice and hate. They’ll gain a deeper understanding of how the Nazis industrialised the act of murder. And they’ll know why history cannot be allowed to repeat itself.
Japan
The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, in an attempt to force the country to surrender and end WW2.
Those bombs are thought to have killed 150,000 – 200,000 people.
The city of Hiroshima has built a memorial park dedicated to peace around the ruined Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (known locally as the A-Bomb Dome), which was the closest structure to survive the explosion.
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