WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West
Grades 8-12, Social Studies; Six hours total.

In confidential meetings held during World War II, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sparred and negotiated for the political and economic interests of their nations — making deals that sometimes had less to do with right or wrong than the expediency of their individual wartime goals.

Program web site, pbs.org/behindcloseddoors, includes:

• 11 standards-based, innovative lesson plans and snapshot activities based on the series including creative projects, problem solving, simulations, and critical analysis of the content.
• Historical narratives.
• Interactive materials and maps.

• Bios and essays that help provide a personal perspective of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt.
• A detailed, annotated account of the complex relationship among the three world leaders.
• Powerful first-person accounts from witnesses of the period including Stalin’s secret policemen.
• A graphical timeline including biographical, political and military benchmarks spanning the years 1874-1955.
• A collection of flat and interactive maps of pre-, during and post-WWII Europe.
• An interactive exploration of the major World War II conferences including Casablanca, Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam.
• Series information and video clips including behind-the-scenes interviews with filmmaker Laurence Rees.

Rare wartime documents made briefly available only after the fall of the Soviet Union help reveal the real story in WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West, a six-hour series. Historian and filmmaker Laurence Rees (Auschwitz: Inside The Nazi State) tells the hidden story of Stalin’s backroom dealings — first with the Nazis and then with Roosevelt and Churchill. Juxtaposing conventional documentary elements with dramatic re-creations, the series breaks through the myths of the Allied powers, illuminating the hidden motivations of “The Big Three” and creating a dynamic reappraisal of one of the seminal events in world history.