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...
The fifth World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad, to open in Moscow on November 5, is expected to become an important stage in the further consolidation of the Russian World.
The Russian community abroad amounts to approximately 30 million people and is the fourth largest diaspora population in the world. Its formation began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and occurred in waves associated with momentous events in our national history.
An important milestone in recent years was the...
Africa was affected by both world wars. The African continent, which seemed so far away from the European political conflicts, was compelled to take a very active role in both wars. However, the contribution made by Africans to the victory over fascism remains largely underappreciated.
For Africans, World War II began in 1935, when Italy invaded Ethiopia. In a sense, the war continued – in the form a battle for independence – long after 1945, when Africans demanded that their contribution to the...
This has been the biggest military parade in Russia’s modern history: 16,000 servicemen, 200 army vehicles, 150 aircraft. Warships paraded elsewhere—from Vladivostok on the Pacific to Sebastopol on the Black Sea to Severomorsk in the Arctic to Baltiysk in the Baltic. The Moscow parade culminated months of elaborate preparations to mark the seventieth anniversary of Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. The event has sent a number of important messages, which...
The 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is a major celebration for the United Kingdom. The British people commemorate the victims of this world war. Though, in the spring of 2015, the British public was preoccupied with the election campaign (the general election was held on the eve of the VE Day celebrations, on 7 May 2015), Britain celebrated the 70th anniversary on a large scale. Like in most European countries, Victory Day in Britain is celebrated on 8 May – the day on which Winston Churchill...
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...
The fates of Sweden, Norway and Denmark during the Second World War were different. Sweden opted for neutrality, whereas Denmark and Norway fell victims to Nazi aggression. Each Scandinavian nation has its own historical memory of the events that took place in those years. And they celebrate the end of the war on different dates: on May 5, Denmark celebrates a national holiday associated with the liberation of the country from its Nazi occupants; the majority of the Danish territory was liberated...
The post-Soviet years have been a watershed for newly independent states in establishing traditions and shaping the historical memory of the Second World War. In many of these countries, this memory is clearly different from that in present-day Russia. This is particularly true for the former Soviet republics which were occupied by the Germans during World War II or which witnessed fierce combat. In a number of post-Soviet states, WWII is no longer seen as an unambiguous battle of good against evil...
Among the memorable dates observed in the United States are those associated with World War II: May 8 – Victory in Europe Day; June 6 – D-Day in memory of the Normandy landings in France; September 2 – Victory over Japan Day; December 7 – National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
We see that there are two Victory Days in this list. The attitude of Americans towards the history of the Second World War is quite specific. This is due to the fact that there were no military actions...
The Great Patriotic War has deeply scarred the memory of people across the vast territorial expanse of the former Soviet Union. However, as time passes, and veterans pass away, the event is increasingly viewed as a subject in a textbook, which raises the need to keep the memory of the war alive within the population.
On the eve of the 70-th anniversary of Victory Day, most post-Soviet countries held large celebrations culminating in the May 9 military parade in Moscow. All the Central Asian republics...
