How should I calculate cumulative historical CO2 emissions per capita for countries?

They are already. That's what happens when the industrial base in Western nations collapses. Heavy industry simply moved to a more cost effective place.

See, this way save-the-world liberals can crow about how much they have done to reduce their carbon footprint while buying cheap imports from China who care nothing about their carbon footprint. It's a win-win.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.