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England

An Oxford World War II Conference

Program No. 21453RJ
Immerse yourself in the story of WWII in Oxford, where you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the outbreak of the war through lectures and expert-led speaker discussions.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 8 - Sep 15, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Special Offer

No extra cost for single rooms! Free singles sell out quickly, so be sure to enroll early.

DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 8 - Sep 15, 2024
Starting at
3,499
Special Offer

No extra cost for single rooms! Free singles sell out quickly, so be sure to enroll early.

At a Glance

On September 1, 1939 the threads of an increasingly tense web of international relations began to snap as German forces crossed the Polish border. One year later armed conflict was again in full swing across the world, with no end in sight. We invite you to join distinguished scholars and historians in Oxford, England for a historic conference event, the seventh in Road Scholar’s World War series. Delve into the origins, outbreak and early stages of the Second World War with leading experts at the conference.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking and standing up to 2 hours on some field trips.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Get insight from renowned experts, historians, authors, professors and broadcasters into the events of the Second World War with a special focus on 1941.
  • Focus on the events of 1941 in lectures: the war in North Africa, the struggle against the U-Boats and the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
  • Learn about the events of the war on land, sea and in the air, as well as daily life on the home front, in an expert-led discussion.
  • Enjoy the ambience of an Oxford College at St Hugh's, including dinner in hall, receptions and gala dinner and a gin tasting with John Harris.

General Notes

This conference program has a maximum of 120 like-minded participants, is classroom-based and features acclaimed experts. For field trips, the group will be divided into smaller groups. Double rooms are not offered on this program due to the rooming configurations at St. Hugh’s College. We offer a set of two single rooms with an adjoining area and shared bathroom facilities. Roommate matching cannot be offered.
Featured Expert
All Experts
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Spencer Jones
Dr. Spencer Jones is an award-winning historian and author with a special interest in the First and Second World Wars and the life of Sir Winston Churchill. He is a senior lecturer in armed forces and war studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and serves in the British Army as the regimental historian of the Royal Artillery. His most recent publication is 'The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917' (Helion and Company, 2021).

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Spencer Jones
Spencer Jones View biography
Dr. Spencer Jones is an award-winning historian and author with a special interest in the First and Second World Wars and the life of Sir Winston Churchill. He is a senior lecturer in armed forces and war studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and serves in the British Army as the regimental historian of the Royal Artillery. His most recent publication is 'The Darkest Year: The British Army on the Western Front 1917' (Helion and Company, 2021).
Profile Image of Annette Barton
Annette Barton View biography
Before becoming a group leader, Annette worked in the Economic Development Department in a UK local government post, which took her to many countries in Europe and beyond. After taking early retirement, she lived and sailed in the Mediterranean for a few years before joining Road Scholar. In the following two decades, she has led groups in at least 18 countries, visited 24 countries as part of a world voyage and has assisted at international conferences.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Coming of the Third Reich
by Richard Evans
France 1940: Defending the Republic
by Philip Nord
First to Fight: The Polish War 1939
by Roger Moorhouse
Britain, France and Belgium 1939-1940
by Brian Bond
The Lights that Failed: European History 1919-1933
by Zara Steiner
Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis
by Ian Kershaw
The Peace That Never Was: A History of the League of Nations
by Ruth Henig
Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man
by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
The Battle of Britain: Five Months which Changed History
by James Holland
The Duel: The Eighty Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler
by John Lukacs
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
by Martin Gilbert
The Third Reich in Power
by Richard Evans
Churchill: Walking with Destiny
by Andrew Roberts
Winston Churchill dominates our view of the history of Britain in the twentieth century - the brash, brave and ambitious young aristocrat who sought out danger in late Victorian wars, the mercurial First Lord of the Admiralty who was responsible for the Dardanelles disaster in 1915, the Home Secretary who crushed the General Strike in 1926, the Colonial Secretary who rode with T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell at the Pyramids, the Chancellor who took the country back to the Gold Standard and then spent more than ten years in the political wilderness - and who, finally, was summoned to save his country in 1940. 'I felt that I was walking with destiny, and all my life had been but preparation for that hour.' Andrew Robert's titanic new biography interprets all these events, especially Churchill's leadership during the Second World War, which he sees through the prism of all Churchill's earlier life. He gives full visibility to Churchill's flaws, and brilliantly explains his genius. Roberts has used over forty collections of papers not available to Churchill's previous biographer Roy Jenkins (2001) and he is the first Churchill biographer to be granted access by the Queen to the private diaries of King George VI. This is the Churchill biography for our times and the next generation.
When Britain Saved the West: The Story of 1940
by Robin Prior
Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris
by Ian Kershaw
Anatomy of a Campaign: The British Fiasco in Norway, 1940
by John Kiszely
Blitzkrieg: Myth, Reality and Hitler’s Lightning War – France 1940
by Lloyd Clark
Strange Defeat
by Mark Bloch
The Republic in Danger: General Maurice Gamelin and the Politics of French Defence, 1933-1940
by Martin Alexander
Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War
by Tim Bouverie
1939: Countdown to War
by Richard Overy
When the Children Came Home: Stories of Wartime Evacuees
by Julie Summers
The Triumph of the Dark: European History 1933 – 1939
by Zara Steiner





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.