Student Activity
World War II Diplomacy: Europe through the Course of the War

Photo caption
WWII Diplomacy is a series of interactive maps showing events in the European theater of WWII.
Explore this series of interactive maps to gain a visual understanding of the events that took place in the European theater of WWII.
Note: This interactive uses Adobe Flash.
Guiding Questions and Primary Sources
- Map 1: June 1941
- What information does this map show? What information is missing? How does that make the map misleading or difficult to interpret?
- What do the labels in the map legend mean? What were the differences between the different kinds of territory related to the Axis powers?
- Map 2: December 1941, Eastern Front
- Read about the German invasion of the Soviet Union from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Learn more about the Eastern Front with this article and collection of primary sources from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- View a collection of primary sources about the Eastern Front on the Digital Public Library of America.
- When was the turning point on the Eastern Front? How is this shown on the map?
- What factors contributed to the defeat of German forces on the Eastern Front, despite their initial advantage?
- Map 3: January 1943, Casablanca Conference
- What was the Casablanca Conference? Who attended?
- How was the conference portrayed in the U.S. press and received by the U.S. public? Chronicling America allows you to explore this question, perhaps starting with a summary of press coverage from the Washington, D.C. Evening Star.
- What were the outcomes of the conference?
- Map 4: November 1943, Tehran Conference
- Read the agreements reached at the Tehran Conference.
- What was the Tehran Conference? Who attended?
- How had the map of the war changed since the Casablanca Conference in January 1943?
- What were the priorities of the different leaders at the conference?
- Curate a selection of five photographs of the Tehran Conference, writing a short blurb for each about what it depicts and why you have selected it.
- Map 5: February 1945, Yalta Conference
- Read the agreements reached at the Yalta Conference.
- What was the Yalta Conference? Who attended?
- How had the map of the war changed since the Tehran Conference in November 1943?
- How did U.S. responses to the Yalta Conference change from the immediate aftermath of the Conference to after Roosevelt's death in April 1945?