8 May 2025 marks 80 years since Victory in Europe (VE) Day - a turning point in world history that brought an end to the Second World War in Europe. As we remember this momentous day, OpenLearn invites you to explore a special collection of resources that delve into the people, decisions, and events that shaped this period and its aftermath.
From a critical look at Winston Churchill’s complex legacy in Good Churchill, Bad Churchill?, to the the vital role of wartime nursing, this collection offers fresh perspectives. Discover the genius of Alan Turing in our podcast on his life and codebreaking brilliance, and trace the chilling rise of Adolf Hitler through our detailed historical timeline.
Explore our Second World War resources
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D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, and the British Military Nursing Services
Read now to access more details of D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, and the British Military Nursing ServicesOperation Overlord, the invasion of Europe known as D-Day, began on 6 June 1944. 12,000 British military nurses served during World War II, many of these during the aftermath of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. In this article, explore what it was like to be a nurse at this time.
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Good Churchill, bad Churchill?
Read now to access more details of Good Churchill, bad Churchill?Everyone has an opinion on former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. We take a look at some of the highlights as well as the controversies of his career.
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Hitler's rise and fall: Timeline
Read now to access more details of Hitler's rise and fall: TimelineTrack the key events in Adolf Hitler's life, including his childhood in Austria, his decisions as Fuehrer of Germany, his leadership in the Second World War, and his eventual suicide.
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Alan Turing: Life and legacy
Listen now to access more details of Alan Turing: Life and legacyTo what extent did Alan Turing influence the evolution of modern computing? The 20th Century mathematician is considered by many to be the father of computer science and many would argue that it is largely due to his research that we are able to read this text on a PC, laptop or smart phone. Aside from his contribution to maths and computing ...
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Atom Bomb in Popular Culture
Watch now to access more details of Atom Bomb in Popular CultureGerman surrender brought the Second World War in Europe to an end. But all feared that war with Japan would drag on and on. Behind the scenes, the US had been working on a secret weapon – the most powerful ever devised – and by August 1945… it was no longer such a secret. These films explore A-Bomb in Pop Culture or: How The West Has Changed its...
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The Bletchley Park connection
Read now to access more details of The Bletchley Park connectionThe once-hidden connection between Asa Briggs, Mary Siepmann, Alan Turing and many others—an estate used by British codebreakers during the Second World War.
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Ian Kershaw on Hitler's Place In History: The Lecture Podcast
Listen now to access more details of Ian Kershaw on Hitler's Place In History: The Lecture PodcastIan Kershaw, renowned as one of the leading experts on the Third Reich, unpicks the question of how history should view Adolf Hitler.
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The historical and ongoing persecution of Europe’s gypsies
Read now to access more details of The historical and ongoing persecution of Europe’s gypsiesIt’s estimated that 25% of the Roma pre-war European population perished as a result of Nazi persecution. This article explores the anti-Roma prejudice that still goes on today, and what can be done to tackle it.
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How did the USSR react to the bombing of Hiroshima?
Read now to access more details of How did the USSR react to the bombing of Hiroshima?A meeting between the US ambassador and Stalin reveals what the Soviets felt about the bombing of Hiroshima - and Churchill's return to the Opposition benches.
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What is the evidence that King Edward VIII was a Nazi sympathiser?
Read now to access more details of What is the evidence that King Edward VIII was a Nazi sympathiser?Was Edward VIII a Nazi sympathiser? Damning evidence in the archives suggests he wanted England bombed to force an Anglo-German alliance?
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Regina Jonas: the first female rabbi
Listen now to access more details of Regina Jonas: the first female rabbiRegina Jonas (1902-1944), who is now widely recognised as the world’s first female rabbi, was ordained in Nazi Germany in 1935. However, for many years after her death at Auschwitz, she remained a largely forgotten figure until the discovery of her papers in the early 1990s. This collection explores Jonas’ story, which raises important issues in...
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Empires: power, resistance, legacies
Learn more to access more details of Empires: power, resistance, legaciesEmpires have existed throughout most of human history. They have spanned the globe. They have influenced the way we are governed, our systems of trade, how we use technology, our relationships with the natural world. They have shaped how we have seen, mapped and divided the world. They have profoundly affected how we have understood and ...
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