Deterrence in Foreign Policy: Lessons From World War II

Published: March 9, 2021

Lessons from history have clearly shown what happens when powerful nations do not show their might. During World War II, the Allied nations were far more powerful than the Axis powers, but their hesitancy in joining the war effort resulted in millions of deaths. Deterrence is about not just military might but also a mindset. For it to work, nations must show their capability to exert force and their clear willingness to use it when needed.

Discussion Questions

1. Why didn’t the Allied nations show their military might from the beginning of World War II?
2. How should the United States act to deter global violence?

Additional Resources

• Read The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won, by Victor Davis Hanson, which examines how distinct conflicts among disparate combatants coalesced into one interconnected global war. Available here. 
• Listen as Victor Davis Hanson gives listeners a guided tour of his book The Second World Wars on The Classicist. Available here.
• How were the Axis powers able to instigate the most lethal conflict in human history? Find out in part one of two with Victor Davis Hanson on Uncommon Knowledge. Available here.
• Could the Axis powers have won? What are the counterfactuals for World War II? Find out in part two of two with Victor Davis Hanson on Uncommon Knowledge. Available here
• Listen to “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” part one of three with Victor Davis Hanson on The John Batchelor Show. Available here.
• Listen to “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” part two of three with Victor Davis Hanson on The John Batchelor Show. Available here.
• Listen to “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” part three of three with Victor Davis Hanson on The John Batchelor Show. Available here.