World War II caused an estimated 85 million deaths worldwide, about 3 percent of the global population at the time, including both military personnel and civilians. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. What lessons can we draw from this global conflict?

‘Dead to Rights’ film details horrors of Nanjing Massacre

After collecting over a billion dollars at the box office in China, the movie Death To Rights premiered in the United States in August.

Michael Berry, director of the Center for Chinese Studies a UCLA, says there is a long history of films in China depicting the Nanjing Massacre.

“Photography has been employed as the most powerful weapon or tool to prove what really happened. Now, we ask, why do you have to prove what really happened? That has to do with a long history of denialism on the part of the Japanese government or … highly influential public figures in Japan,” Berry said.

For many in the American audience of the film’s premiere, it was the first time they learned about the atrocities committed by the Japanese army during the invasion of China in 1937.

“I hope this film does not propagate hatred, but encourages viewers to focus on the present,  to hope for peace, to cherish current life, to remember history, and to value peace, strengthening ourselves in the process,” said Shen Ao, the movie’s director.

Director Cao Haibin renews attention on Nanjing Massacre

Director and producer Cao Haibin has brought renewed attention to one of the darkest chapters of World War II – the Nanjing Massacre. Cao received an Emmy Award for his documentary, “Scars of Nanjing.”

“War and peace may be an eternal theme in our world. Today’s world is far from tranquil, as war and bloodshed persist in many places. By revisiting these historical tragedies, we hope to remind people today to cherish the present and recognize the value of peace,” Cao said.

Holocaust survivors warn of repeating history

Nazi Germany’s genocide of Jews extended beyond Germany and Poland to many occupied countries across Eastern and Western Europe, involving collaborators from various national groups. We meet three survivors of the Holocaust: Esther Senot and Naftali Furst.

Chinese filmmaker sheds light on untold World War II tragedy

It’s one of the lesser-known tragedies from World War II: In 1942, the Japanese freighter, the Lisbon Maru, was transporting more than 1,800 British POWs from Hong Kong to Japan when it was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine.

The ship sank in the East China Sea off the coast of Zhejiang Province. Only 700 POWs survived, many saved by local Chinese fishermen. Marine technologist and filmmaker Fang Li spent eight years filling in this gap in history, culminating in his documentary, “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.”

Flying Tigers legacy embodies China-U.S. collaboration

The First American Volunteer Group – nicknamed the Flying Tigers – was made up of pilots who fought on behalf of China in World War II. Hailed by both the Chinese and American public for their heroism, the Flying Tigers’ successes included driving the Japanese 70 miles back towards the Chinese-Burmese border.

“At that time, it was probably one of the most successful uses of tactical air power in history. So the effect was the Japanese did not come back for a year and a half,” said Jeffrey Greene, President of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation.

“The Chinese people believed in themselves, and they believed in the American pilots. And that’s what is so important about this 80th anniversary [of the end of World War II], that now people in the West are starting to realize and understand and hear about this relationship of sacrifice,” Greene said.

WW2 American general celebrated as hero in China

In Monroe, Louisiana, an important piece of World War 2 history lives on through the legacy of a trailblazing ally to China – General Claire Lee Chennault, creator of the Flying Tigers volunteer group.

“Every time they went up in those airplanes, they risked their lives with these people serving China, these people that they didn’t really have any commonality with, except that they were humans that needed help,” said Nell Calloway, CEO of the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum and the granddaughter of Gen. Chennault.

The Flying Tigers were often outnumbered but never lost a battle. “In China, it actually gave Chinese a sign of relief knowing that the Americans were coming to their aid. And in America, it actually let Americans know that there were Americans that were able to have a victory in battle,” Calloway said.

Calloway said she hopes the museum and her grandfather’s legacy serve as a reminder of the costs of peace. “Peace is a responsibility. It’s a challenge. It’s a job. It’s all those words. But it’s something that is vitally important because if we don’t maintain peace with the weapons of war that we have today, we won’t have a world.”

Lessons from World War II with Yawei Liu of The Carter Center

Yawei Liu, a leading scholar on U.S.-China relations and Chinese history, offers a unique perspective on World War II from China’s vantage point. Liu is senior advisor on China at The Carter Center. World War II events in China – like the Nanjing Massacre were not widely reported, Liu said. Until recently, there was no museum dedicated to the event.

“That story was long overdue,” he said. Looking back at World War II’s lessons, Liu said diplomacy is “very, very important.”

“We do need to try all our best to make the other side perceive us more objectively because misperception leads to miscalculation and miscalculation will lead to wrong decisions that will easily trigger conflict.” he said.

Rethinking the role of atomic bombs with Professor Peter Kuznick

The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, leading to Japan’s surrender and ushering in the nuclear age.

Americans learned that “the bombs are not only necessary, they’re moral,” said Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University.

“It’s at the heart of this idea of American goodness and the American Empire and American exceptionalism. The reality is very, very different,” he said.

Creation of UN was ‘a commitment to diplomacy’

The United Nations was formed at the end of World War II. The signing of the The 1945 San Francisco Conference culminated in the signing of the UN Charter, formally creating the new international organization.

“The charter is a commitment to diplomacy and dialogue as a means to solve the problems and the challenges that we all face, as opposed to using power and strength,” said Blanca Montejo, Deputy Chef de Cabinet in the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly.

“There was an enormous optimism and an expectation that this new international organization would be the solution to many of the problems that drove the world to the Second World War,” Montejo said