How the centenary of the First World War affected the debate: the importance of contingency over motive

How far was tension between the Great Powers likely to lead to war?

How did Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles shape the debate about responsibility for war?

How important were the decisions taken by key individuals in leading to war?

Contemporary reactions to the Holocaust

The Functionalist approach: how far did contingent factors such as war determine how the Holocaust developed?

Bystanders: How did the USA and Britain respond to the Holocaust at the time?

Victims: How far did Jews resist the Holocaust, and how can resistance be defined? Did men and women experience the Holocaust in different ways? Should definitions of the Holocaust include victims other than Jews?

Increasing tensions in a divided Europe

Peace-making at the end of the Second World War

The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

Tensions in the wartime alliance against the Axis powers