Similarities Between Risk and the Nazi Conquest of Europe

Risk is a strategic board game in which the objective is world domination. The player must go around conquering territories all over the world, and the winner is the player who is victorious in dominating every territory. Many aspects of Risk can be related to conquests that actually happened in history, like Adolf Hitler’s conquest of Europe during World War II. Some qualities are realistic, but others are less realistic. For example, your opponents are all sitting at the same table, right next to you. Furthermore, the outcome of the battle is dependent on how the dice roll. Nonetheless, my experience playing Risk is similar to Hitler’s conquest of Europe during World War II including the use of power, aggression, glory, and alliances.

Aggression, glory, and alliances held a major role during the Nazi conquests during WWII and during the game of Risk I played. Without these aspects of conquest and warfare during WWII, the world would be so different than it is now. The Holocaust wouldn’t have caused as many deaths, and the restoration many countries had to go through because of the war wouldn’t have cost as much money. I would’ve probably been wiped out of the game early on had it not been for my alliance with Stephanie. If I wasn’t aggressive when I had a chance or wasn’t glorious I would’ve also been put at a major disadvantage. In conclusion, my game of Risk and Hitler’s conquests are very similar when it comes to alliances, aggression, and glory. These aspects not only changed the my game, but also changed the outcome of the war.

Work Cited

“Austria and 1938.” HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 28 November 2012

“Which Countries did the Nazis occupy?.” TheHolocaustExplained.org. London Jewish Cultural Centre 2011, n.d. Web. 28 November 2012

James