Thomas Childers

Ph.D., Harvard University

University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Thomas Childers is Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been teaching for over 25 years. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University.

Professor Childers has held visiting professorships at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge, Smith College, and Swarthmore College. He is a popular lecturer abroad as well, in London, Oxford, Berlin, and Munich.

Professor Childers has won several teaching awards, including the Ira T. Abrahms Award for Distinguished Teaching and Challenging Teaching in the Arts and Sciences, the Richard S. Dunn Award for Distinguished Teaching in History, and the Senior Class Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Professor Childers is the author and editor of several books on modern German history and the Second World War. He is currently completing a trilogy on the Second World War. The first volume, Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down over Germany in World War II, was praised by Jonathan Yardley in The Washington Post as “a powerful and unselfconsciously beautiful book.”

	History of Hitler’s Empire, 2nd Edition Professor Thomas Childers In A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition, award-winning Professor Thomas Childers explains the unexplainable about Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement that would become the greatest enemy ever faced by modern civilization. These powerful lectures answer two burning issues that have nagged humankind for more than 50 years: How Hitler and Nazism came to power in a highly developed country, and how the Nazi regime was able to establish itself in such a short amount of time and spark World War II. With this unforgettable course, you can study and understand the rise of one man and his terrible regime the way the inhabitants of Germany—and the mid-20th–century world—experienced it.

	World War II: A Military and Social History Professor Thomas Childers This course examines one of the greatest conflicts in human history, World War II. Between 1937 and 1945, 55 million people perished. It was a series of interrelated conflicts; no continent was left untouched, no ocean or sea unaffected. World War II taught lessons that none of us can ever study enough. Professor Thomas Childers uses the dual perspective of military and social history to explain both the epic course and epoch-making effects of the "last good war." This is a great introduction to a period of history that remains as addictively interesting as it is important.

	Europe and Western Civilization in the Modern Age Professor Thomas Childers Do you want to improve your understanding of where we are today, how we got here, why the 20th century unfolded as it did, and even what the next millennium might hold? This perceptive, richly documented course covers the history and global impact of Europe since the French Revolution.

	World War I & World War II (Set) Professor Thomas Childers In the 20th century, two epic wars forever altered the course of human history. Get a comprehensive look at these conflicts in two fascinating courses. In World War I: The "Great War," award-winning Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, you’ll see inside the years between 1914 and 1918 to examine history's "Great War." Then in World War II: A Military and Social History, follow renowned war historian and Professor Thomas Childers. You meet iconic historical figures, scrutinize the military decisions that changed the course of history, explore how the war unfolded, and encounter examples of heroism that still resonate in our memories.

	Set: Turning Points in American History & World War II Professor Thomas Childers In World War II: A Military and Social History examine one of the greatest conflicts in human history. Between 1937 and 1945, 55 million people perished. It was a series of interrelated conflicts; no continent was left untouched, no ocean or sea unaffected. World War II taught lessons that none of us can ever study enough. Professor Thomas Childers uses the dual perspective of military and social history to explain both the epic course and epoch-making effects of the "last good war." Then in Turning Points in American History relive the most groundbreaking moments in the story of the United States of America. These 48 lectures by masterful historian and Professor Edward T. O'Donnell offer a different perspective on the sweeping narrative of U.S. history.

Save Up To $335	Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers & History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition (Set) Professor Thomas Childers Investigate the legacies of individuals who, for good or ill, shaped history through warfare in this thought-provoking two- course set. In Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers, you’ll explore both the content and historical context of the world’s finest war strategists. And in A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition, you’ll get answers to two burning issues that have nagged humankind for more than 50 years: How did Hitler and Nazism come to power in a highly developed country, and how was the Nazi regime able to establish itself in such a short amount of time and spark World War II?

	Set: 3174, 805, 807 & 8561 Professor Thomas Childers Not sure which Great Course you want to order? Then order them all! For a limited time only, you can get Origins of Great Ancient Civilizations, History of Hitler’s Empire, 2nd Edition, Churchill, and Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln in a single four-course set for one amazingly low price! This special offer is the perfect way to sample some of the fascinating subjects, engaging professors, and profound insights you can find only from The Great Courses.

	American Civil War & World War II: A Military and Social History (Set) Professor Thomas Childers Experience the triumphs and tragedies of two defining wars in world history. Examine the experience of the American Civil War, from the front lines of battle to the home fronts of the Union and the Confederacy, in American Civil War. Afterward, examine the people, battles, and legacies of the 20th century's most monumental conflict in World War II: A Military and Social History.

	Four Great Courses, One Amazingly Low Price! Professor Thomas Childers Not sure which Great Course you want to order? Then order them all! For a limited time only, you can get Museum Masterpieces: The Louvre; A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition; What Are the Chances? Probability Made Clear; and My Favorite Universe in a single four-course set for one amazingly low price! This special offer is the perfect way to sample some of the fascinating subjects, engaging professors, and profound insights you can find only from The Great Courses.

	Churchill & History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition (Set) Professor Thomas Childers Discover the answers to questions about the lives and legacies of two individuals who, for better or worse, shaped much of the 20th century. First, in Churchill, get a well-rounded grasp of how Winston Churchill became the man who rallied the British people and helped defeat tyranny during World War II. Then, in A History of Hitler's Empire, 2nd Edition, learn how a man like Adolf Hitler and a movement like Nazism came to power and hurtled the world into a devastating war.

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Thomas Childers