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 ...
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 ...
... of President Jacques Chirac’s participation in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Victory Day in Moscow on May 9, 1995. Invited by Boris Yeltsin, Jacques Chirac arrived in Moscow with some delay in order to avoid the military parade, as Russian troops involved in the conflict in Chechnya would take part in it.
The memorable and glorious dates of the Second World War provide President Francois Hollande an opportunity to demonstrate the willingness of France to mediate in overcoming the ...
... century, broke out a hundred years ago, in August of 1914.
Apart from the millions killed, the war destroyed four empires – Russian, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and German. It sparked a genocide (the Armenians in Turkey), and saw the first use of weapons ... ....
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 ...
“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 ...
