Dr. István Deák, Seth Low Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, will explore how the people and countries under German occupation, as well as Soviet, Italian, and other military rule faced innumerable moral and ethical dilemmas, whether to cooperate with their occupiers, try to survive the war without any political involvement, or risk their lives by becoming resisters. Many chose all three, depending on particular conditions at the time.

Professor Deák will also discuss the postwar aftermath: the purges of real or alleged war criminals and collaborators through various acts of violence, deportations, and judicial proceedings at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal as well as in thousands of local courts.