How does your country view WWII?
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How does your country view WWII?
So I've been studying Russian now for a while and I have 6 teachers. 3 of which are Russian, one is Polish, another Uzbek, and another Azerbaijanian. Obviously a great source for dialogues and readings is about World War 2. They all have their opinions about the war, but they main thing I've noticed is how they talk about it. The native Russians and older teachers from the former Soviet Union even go so far as to call it the 'Great Patriotic War'. This refers not to World War 2 but solely to the years that the Soviet Union was involved in the war. So this brings me to the question, how does your native country view/teach its own role in the war? Because I've noticed that it's involved heavily in both our (American) culture and in the Russian culture. I wonder how it is viewed in Germany, France, Italy, Japan and England even. Any feedback is appreciated. And please mention your home country to avoid confusion.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
I'm American.
I find it interesting that you say WW2 is heavily involved in our culture. I must disagree. As a high school student, I haven't had a single course teach much about WW2 outside of a very general timeline, and most people I meet don't tend to have much in the way of knowledge about it. Save for the odd 'my grandfather fought in the war' or something like that, not very many people seem to understand the conflict, hell, some people don't even know who we were fighting and why.
This is just the war in general, though. The Eastern Front is worse. I remember a year ago during my history class we spent two-three weeks on WW2 and the Eastern Front was mentioned only in passing (something along the lines of Stalingrad being the turning point). Nothing about any of the lead up or subsequent events.
A rough idea of how WW2 is taught:
1.) Germany invades Poland, world is shocked
2.) Emphasis on Blitzkrieg
3.) Germany rampages around Europe for a while
4.) Stalingrad
5.) D-Day and VE Day after less than a year
There aren't any details, the above timeline is basically all there is to it. The only vaguely informative thing we did was to pick a battle and give a presentation on it, but even then, you had limited options and it was almost exclusively ETO and North Africa-Italy. Plus there was no fact checking process, so anybody could BS their way through it and if it seemed informative and well laid out, you passed. Oh, and it had to be five minutes or less.
That was a World History Class, now this year I take American History as per the requirement. American History is all we actually have, we spend all of middle school going from the revolution to the civil war, every year. We start over every year, so it's just the same events over and over again. I swear we never even made it to anything beyond 1890. Freshman year of HS, you don't have history, Sophomore you've got World History, and in your Junior year you go right back to the revolution. For Senior year you've got a choice between comparative government or civics, I haven't taken either one, but I've heard good things.
Anyway. WW2 is sorely under represented in (at least mine) school curriculum here in the states.
I find it interesting that you say WW2 is heavily involved in our culture. I must disagree. As a high school student, I haven't had a single course teach much about WW2 outside of a very general timeline, and most people I meet don't tend to have much in the way of knowledge about it. Save for the odd 'my grandfather fought in the war' or something like that, not very many people seem to understand the conflict, hell, some people don't even know who we were fighting and why.
This is just the war in general, though. The Eastern Front is worse. I remember a year ago during my history class we spent two-three weeks on WW2 and the Eastern Front was mentioned only in passing (something along the lines of Stalingrad being the turning point). Nothing about any of the lead up or subsequent events.
A rough idea of how WW2 is taught:
1.) Germany invades Poland, world is shocked
2.) Emphasis on Blitzkrieg
3.) Germany rampages around Europe for a while
4.) Stalingrad
5.) D-Day and VE Day after less than a year
There aren't any details, the above timeline is basically all there is to it. The only vaguely informative thing we did was to pick a battle and give a presentation on it, but even then, you had limited options and it was almost exclusively ETO and North Africa-Italy. Plus there was no fact checking process, so anybody could BS their way through it and if it seemed informative and well laid out, you passed. Oh, and it had to be five minutes or less.
That was a World History Class, now this year I take American History as per the requirement. American History is all we actually have, we spend all of middle school going from the revolution to the civil war, every year. We start over every year, so it's just the same events over and over again. I swear we never even made it to anything beyond 1890. Freshman year of HS, you don't have history, Sophomore you've got World History, and in your Junior year you go right back to the revolution. For Senior year you've got a choice between comparative government or civics, I haven't taken either one, but I've heard good things.
Anyway. WW2 is sorely under represented in (at least mine) school curriculum here in the states.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
In the UK no one under 40 seems that interested but the 'we won WW2' mentality is very much alive in a particular section of the public of a certain age and voting persuasion.
Re: How does your country view WWII?
I was born in the USA in the 1950s
in my formative years WWII was the defining event. tv shows and movies abounded. coverage in depth in history classes.
as kids we studied the war avidly, especially the boys. Ballantine books were all over. there was another publisher (Tower?) whose books were popular. we used to debate our favorite generals and ships.
WWII vets were all over (most of our fathers and uncles) and it was a huge topic of conversation, though actual combat stuff was mainly kept between those who were there.
simple narrative; heroic USA saves innocent Asia and Europe from evil nazis and Imperial Japan.
Italy was mostly ignored.
as noted, not so much now. occasional news stories on 'Greatest Generation' relics ('90 year old veteran relives parachute jump' type stuff).
in my formative years WWII was the defining event. tv shows and movies abounded. coverage in depth in history classes.
as kids we studied the war avidly, especially the boys. Ballantine books were all over. there was another publisher (Tower?) whose books were popular. we used to debate our favorite generals and ships.
WWII vets were all over (most of our fathers and uncles) and it was a huge topic of conversation, though actual combat stuff was mainly kept between those who were there.
simple narrative; heroic USA saves innocent Asia and Europe from evil nazis and Imperial Japan.
Italy was mostly ignored.
as noted, not so much now. occasional news stories on 'Greatest Generation' relics ('90 year old veteran relives parachute jump' type stuff).
Saint Peter, let these men enter Heaven; they served their time in hell.
Re: How does your country view WWII?
Ukraine. Dnipro city. I will describe to you the attitude to the Second World War today. War veterans are beaten in some regions. On March 21, the Nazis painted a swastika on the presidential administration. Our heroes today are the veterans of the 14th SS Division "Galicia". Do you need photo documents? The Nazis in our country are supported by the US Embassy. I may even be arrested for this post. There is a law on anti-Ukrainian propaganda. And there is the NSDC that can do it out of court. We have recently closed three TV channels. No trial. Christina Queen supported this on Twitter. Christina Queen is the US Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine. And if you find it hard to believe it, then make a request to the State Department.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
Good reference site: http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar.
Re: How does your country view WWII?
WOW, R.V., that's heavy, i.e., difficult to believe. If we turned the clock back a few months to the Trump Administration, and change "Nazi" and "Nazis" to "Nationalists" and "Super Patriots" then I might understand how there might be some moral support there from the U.S. Embassy because of Trump's tilt to the Far Right. But not after 20 January 2021 when Biden was inaugurated. Furthermore, I strongly doubt you are a native-born Ukrainian because your English is too good.Reukoff Vitalla wrote: ↑05 Apr 2021, 18:42Ukraine. Dnipro city. I will describe to you the attitude to the Second World War today. War veterans are beaten in some regions. On March 21, the Nazis painted a swastika on the presidential administration. Our heroes today are the veterans of the 14th SS Division "Galicia". Do you need photo documents? The Nazis in our country are supported by the US Embassy. I may even be arrested for this post. There is a law on anti-Ukrainian propaganda. And there is the NSDC that can do it out of court. We have recently closed three TV channels. No trial. Christina Queen supported this on Twitter. Christina Queen is the US Charge d'Affaires in Ukraine. And if you find it hard to believe it, then make a request to the State Department.
L.
Re: How does your country view WWII?
not to drift topic, but as I recall, the Germans were often hailed as liberators in parts of the Ukraine and possibly other areas when they went in. USSR not too popular.
Saint Peter, let these men enter Heaven; they served their time in hell.
Re: How does your country view WWII?
Yes, that's largely true for Galicia and the provinces of western Ukraine, but not so much in the rest of the country.
L.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
Around the late '90s I met a professor from Moscow U. who was at Purdue as a guest. He had been very surprised to find that the Western Allies had mounted a large scale invasion across the Channel. He had been taught that D-Day was an event no larger than Dieppe.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
Reukoff Vitalla
Do not stray into modern politics, let alone post solely about them. This has always been against the rules and will quickly end in senior staff becoming unhappy with you. Stick to the topic under discussion please.
Terry
Do not stray into modern politics, let alone post solely about them. This has always been against the rules and will quickly end in senior staff becoming unhappy with you. Stick to the topic under discussion please.
Terry
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
Reukoff Vitalla,
I have not banned you at all. I pointed out modern politics are against the rules here and always have been. Picking an open fight with a moderator is also against the rules on pretty much any forum online. You are going to get into serious trouble with the senior staff if you continue, not with myself. If you follow the rules you will be ok, but breaking a rule and then breaking another almost universal rule does not look good and will only end one way. Just stick to the topic and avoid modern political comments. Is that too much to ask???
Terry
I have not banned you at all. I pointed out modern politics are against the rules here and always have been. Picking an open fight with a moderator is also against the rules on pretty much any forum online. You are going to get into serious trouble with the senior staff if you continue, not with myself. If you follow the rules you will be ok, but breaking a rule and then breaking another almost universal rule does not look good and will only end one way. Just stick to the topic and avoid modern political comments. Is that too much to ask???
Terry
Re: How does your country view WWII?
No, Terry, you are not asking too much. However, you are already banning the second post. And I'm not going to go into conflict with the moderator. I will leave your forum myself. Tell me how to delete an account. Without any politics, I am not satisfied with your attitude to basic freedoms and rights.Terry Duncan wrote: ↑07 Apr 2021, 20:00Reukoff Vitalla,
I have not banned you at all. I pointed out modern politics are against the rules here and always have been. Picking an open fight with a moderator is also against the rules on pretty much any forum online. You are going to get into serious trouble with the senior staff if you continue, not with myself. If you follow the rules you will be ok, but breaking a rule and then breaking another almost universal rule does not look good and will only end one way. Just stick to the topic and avoid modern political comments. Is that too much to ask???
Terry
Thank you.
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Re: How does your country view WWII?
I removed the second post because it was confrontational to moderation staff, which as I pointed out, is not allowed on pretty much every site. Leaving it up would serve no purpose other than to get you banned if other staff had seen it. You have every basic freedom to you as long as you stick to the rules. In your life you obey the rules, like which side of the road to drive on, not inciting violence against others, and having an age of consent. If you break these rules the state applies sanctions to you. The same applies to any forum. There are rules you must follow.Reukoff Vitalla wrote: ↑09 Apr 2021, 14:43No, Terry, you are not asking too much. However, you are already banning the second post. And I'm not going to go into conflict with the moderator. I will leave your forum myself. Tell me how to delete an account. Without any politics, I am not satisfied with your attitude to basic freedoms and rights.Terry Duncan wrote: ↑07 Apr 2021, 20:00Reukoff Vitalla,
I have not banned you at all. I pointed out modern politics are against the rules here and always have been. Picking an open fight with a moderator is also against the rules on pretty much any forum online. You are going to get into serious trouble with the senior staff if you continue, not with myself. If you follow the rules you will be ok, but breaking a rule and then breaking another almost universal rule does not look good and will only end one way. Just stick to the topic and avoid modern political comments. Is that too much to ask???
Terry
Thank you.
If you feel I have been unfair, please contact the senior staff via the PM system here and ask them to review things? The same will apply to having your account deleted, contact senior staff and they will do it for you. That is up to you, but it is rather an overreaction to being asked to follow the rules. I acted within the rules and did try to avoid getting you into any trouble, I have no problem with you being a member as long as you follow the rules. You have not been subject to any warnings being applied, but if you wish to take matters further, either to delete your account or to get the senior staff to review my actions, please do so.
Terry
Re: How does your country view WWII?
Let me not believe you. I have not mentioned contemporary politicians. I also did not mention the current political situation. Like in this post. Which no one has deleted. and was not even going to delete.
I took advantage of your offer. And asked to delete my account. And the rules should be the same for everyone. I didn't see it here. Besides, I am used to free expression of my thoughts. Limitations of thought humiliate me.
Especially for Terry Duncan.
However, I was just trying to answer this person's question. Honestly answer as I feel it. And only for this purpose he provided a photo. From open sources via Google. I am studying history. You can find out by looking at my posts.Larry D. wrote: ↑06 Apr 2021, 15:12
WOW, R.V., that's heavy, i.e., difficult to believe. If we turned the clock back a few months to the Trump Administration, and change "Nazi" and "Nazis" to "Nationalists" and "Super Patriots" then I might understand how there might be some moral support there from the U.S. Embassy because of Trump's tilt to the Far Right. But not after 20 January 2021 when Biden was inaugurated. Furthermore, I strongly doubt you are a native-born Ukrainian because your English is too good.
L.
I took advantage of your offer. And asked to delete my account. And the rules should be the same for everyone. I didn't see it here. Besides, I am used to free expression of my thoughts. Limitations of thought humiliate me.
Especially for Terry Duncan.