Be that as it may, the personage of an aged relative
seems to grow in our memory
as we are told of a past time and society.
Maurice Halbwachs
“Historical Memory and Collective Memory”
1950
On May 9, 2015, Russia will hold celebrations in memory of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War (in Europe). Even the youngest veterans are approximately ninety years old now. It seemed reasonable to expect, optimistically, that the change of generations would bring appeasement...
Britain, as an ally in the anti-German coalition, made an invaluable contribution to the victory in World War II. As in the rest of Europe, Victory Day in the United Kingdom is celebrated on 8 May, not 9 May. This is a day of remembrance celebrated every year with annual parades and events dedicated to those killed in the terrible war of 1939-1945. Yet, for Britain, World War II is inseparably linked to World War I, which was just as tragic for the United Kingdom. The reason for this is commented...
In the light of the geopolitical situation that has developed in relation to Russia’s foreign partners’ attitude to the country, the celebration of the 70th anniversary of victory in the Second World War will be a kind of litmus test both for Russia’s political elite and for the majority of the country’s citizens. The decision by a number of western leaders not to come to the events celebrating this anniversary has sparked a wave of indignation among the Russian public and...
... is how today’s new German was created, and the perception of May in Germany should be viewed in this context.
Today one may confidently assert that Germany has overcome its history, as revanchism remains for political outcasts and keen interest in WWII, especially in the Waffen SS and Wehrmacht, attracts close attention from law enforcement. Most Germans are ashamed of those 12 years and are working hard to prevent a repeat, viewing May 8 as a day to celebrate that they have prevailed over history ...
This is the official name of the holiday in France that celebrates victory in World War II. On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany signed the act of surrender in the headquarters of Anglo-American Commander-in-Chief General Dwight Eisenhower in Reims. This date is celebrated in France as the day when World War II ended in Europe. It should be noted that due to a demand by the Soviets, another ceremony for the German surrender was arranged in Berlin shortly before midnight on 8 May, during which Marshal Georgy...
..., the most destructive war in history, in which the most lethal weapon ever invented – the atomic bomb – was used.
This slow-motion catastrophe unfolded over the first half of the century. The Great Depression could be added to the list. WWI unleashed revanchism in Germany, weakened democracies and markets, and strengthened the USSR, which existed in an alternate economic universe. When Vladimir Putin called the collapse of the USSR the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,...
... One. However, the assassination only provided a pretext for the future warring parties to take military action, while the roots of the lasting conflict can be found in the fundamental conflicts between the great powers. On the eve of the centennial of WWI, we spoke with military historian
Sergey Chernyavsky
, Director of the Russian State Navy Archive, who shared his views on German revanchism in the period between the two world wars, one of the main causes for the long war that followed.
What do ...
“A thousand-year-old” history as the basis of Russian identity
In recent years, the Russian authorities have been referring more and more often to the country’s “thousand-year-old history”. Not only does this formula set a chronological framework, but it also distils the principle of the narrative enunciated by the state leaders, that is, the historical scheme into which concrete events are fitted. This provides the context of the recent decisions aimed at reviving...
