Speaking from the philosophy of the Science-Fiction genre, if there is, indeed, a philosophy of such a thing, I came to the conclusion that the BBC's classic show Doctor Who not only creates a window to the populace when it comes to World History, but also mirrors World Conflict in a way that not many people seem to realize.
As said frequently throughout the 48 years the show has been running on the BBC, our hero and protagonist, The Doctor, is revered throughout the entire universe. His name alone means healer, wise man. As the lone superhero, The Doctor travels throughout time and space, saving planets, galaxies, even the entire universe from utter annihilation. But, as the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility."
The Doctor has many enemies as well as allies, which brings us to Global Conflict, and the imagery that a simple sci-fi television show impacts upon the viewer.
Starting with the oldest enemy of the Doctor: The Dalek.
To the naked eye, the Dalek may look ridiculous and bear a striking resemblance to that of a salt and pepper shaker, but inside, hatred burns freely.
How many times the Doctor has defeated the Daleks is almost un-countable, but what we do know is that they will not go down without a fight. From Christopher Eccleston's Dalek to David Tennant's Daleks in Manhattan to Matt Smith's The Pandorica Opens, the Daleks in the new series have become stronger and stronger by the episode.
To connect the philosophy of the Dalek with a single point in history is incredibly difficult. The Dalek acts of genocide against the fictional races of the Whoniverse are similar to that of any genocide carried out in reality within the past few centuries, but the most common, or rather the most disastrous genocide that connects to the ways of the Dalek is the Holocaust carried out by the Nazis in Europe during WWII.
Through Hitler's "Final Solution", Germany planned to exterminate the Jewish race by any means necessary, including murder in cold blood.
Much like the emotionless Dalek, the Nazis held no remorse or mercy for those they killed. Most of the high officers of the Gestapo and SS that were acquitted by the Nuremberg Trials or those who managed to take refuge in South America after the War never had an ounce of regret for the hundreds upon thousands of innocent people that they killed.
Connect the two, and the Daleks are nothing more than a sci-fi robotic version of the German Nazi.
"The Big Three" as they were called- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin- were the leaders of the three most powerful countries in the world after WWII. The Nuremberg Trials, held by The United States of America, The United Kingdom, France, and The Soviet Union brought the Nazis to justice, ending their reign of terror throughout Europe.
The Time War, which was the Last Great War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, was the beginning of the end for the two races, all from The Doctor's own doing to save the universe from utter annihilation.
Though these two races-one real, one fictional-have been connected on a level that is but a simple Science-Fiction television show, the harsh reality of it all is that all of this has actually happened before.
Race against race.
Religion against religion.
Man against man.
Hatred against humanity.
