The 2013 Baker Peace Conference will take place March 21-22 at Ohio University. The conference, with its theme "A World at Peace?: Lessons from the End of the Second World War," will investigate the possibility of pacifism through the lens of the successes and failures of World War II's settlements.

The free event, sponsored by the Ohio University Contemporary History Institute, will feature a keynote address from Gerhard Weinberg, a renowned military historian and expert on World War II and the William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor Emeritus of History at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Weinberg will deliver "History's Biggest War Ever Comes to an End" at 7:30 p.m. on March 21 in Baker University Center Multipurpose Room 240/242.

On March 22, the conference will continue at 10 a.m. in Walter Hall Rotunda with remarks from Miner, followed by three panel discussions examining the end of World War II in three key regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the USSR, Asia and the Pacific.

"We still live with consequences of the Second World War all around us," said Steven Miner, director of the Contemporary History Institute and member of the Baker Peace Studies Program. "The Communist government in China, NATO, the Cold War – all are creations from the end of the war. Ethnic cleansing, anti-Semitism, these are still problems we deal with today."

While the conference has pulled panelists from outside experts in past years, the committee found the Ohio University faculty included some of the leading scholars on World War II. The panels will tap into their talent, highlighting how powerful Ohio University has been on the study of the subject.

The panels include:

The End of the War in Asia, 10-noon

Panelists: John Brobst, Ohio University; Ronald Spector, George Washington University. Moderator: Donald Jordan, Ohio University.

The End of the War in Eastern Europe, 1-3 p.m.

Panelists: David Curp, Ohio University; James Felak, University of Washington; Tara Zahra, University of Chicago. Moderator: Mirna Zakic, Ohio University.

The End of the War in Western Europe, 3 p.m.

Panelists: Norman Goda, University of Florida; Jeffrey Herf, University of Maryland; Steve Miner, Ohio University. Moderator: Robert Davis, School of Advanced Military Studies.

OHIO’s Contemporary History Institute annually hosts the Baker Peace Conference as a means of exploring how peace can be established and maintained throughout the world. Established in 1984, the conference is funded by the John and Elizabeth Baker Peace Studies Endowment, which was established by the late Ohio University president emeritus and his wife.

For more information about the Baker Peace Conference, visit http://www.ohio.edu/conhist/sponsored-events/baker-peace.html.