'We're forgetting the lessons of 1945': young people on VE Day

What does the second world war mean to millennials in Europe? We asked for their views

Brandenburg Gate illuminated to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Berlin, 8 May 2020
Brandenburg Gate illuminated to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Berlin, 8 May 2020 Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA

This weekend marks 75 years since the end of the second world war in Europe, and 70 years since the foundations were established of what became the European Union. With the continent facing its biggest challenge since 1945, do the lessons of the war and its aftermath have any resonance for young people? Millennials from around Europe share some of their thoughts and fears.

We are forgetting the lessons of 1945

“At times of crisis, populism, racism, xenophobia and fascism rise. After the coronavirus economic crisis really hits, we will witness an unbearable climate of pro-nationalist sentiment. In a world of global challenges nations are the wrong scale to solve those problems.”
Isabel, scientist, 32, Spain

We thought war had gone the way of the guillotine

“The fraying of the European project recently has made the second world war suddenly more relevant. For a long time we thought the continent’s bloody divisions were consigned to the past along with slavery or the guillotine. Now it feels like Europe’s tormented history was merely suspended for a few decades. I’m not frightened of a return to armed conflict, but the potential of destructive disunity feels very real. I have no sentimentality for VE Day but I do think that it should be commemorated.”
Aleks, 20s, Serbian, living in the UK

As a German, people backing the far right feels very scary

“Of course there are lessons for my generation from the second world war. I grew up in Germany after all, and what thoughts of racial elitism can do was shockingly impressed on me. How people are turning back to far-right groups all over Europe is very scary.”
Sophia, 22, Brandenburg, Germany

It was hell, not our finest hour

“I am sick of hearing about the war. The allies committed atrocities, war brings out the worst in all people. My friend’s grandad took part in the D-day landings. He said they hit the legs of the soldiers to get them out on the beaches, they were not brave or heroic willingly and they all shit themselves literally. It was hell, not our finest hour. The lesson to learn is no one should think they are better than anyone else and that peace is the most valuable thing we can possibly have.”
Jennifer, 35, London

I live in fear of another war

“I feel like it’s our moral responsibility to not let history repeat itself. I’m very fearful of the nationalism, populism, isolationism and the rise of hard-right parties in Europe (and in the world of course) that we face currently. I live in constant fear that this degradation will eventually evolve and lead to WW3. From the pandemic I see a lot of great humanity, empathy, solidarity. But I also see terrible things: self-centredness, selfishness, disinformation, intolerance, etc. And I see countries that are absolutely not ready for what’s coming.”
Nina, legal assistant, 27, Montpellier, France

Division hides behind nationalism

“Austria in particular has a tragic past when it comes to nationalism, and people here are acutely aware of this. On the other hand, history never exactly repeats itself and I doubt the horrors of the past would really take place in the same way. Nevertheless, what hides behind nationalism is a profound division between groups of people, which is the antithesis of the European project.”
Louis, mid-30s, Vienna

You can feel the nationalism in Denmark

“I think it’s good we talk about the second world war in the UK. My boyfriend is Danish and says that despite the country being occupied, and he has family who were young adults at that time, it isn’t talked about. He’s never had a conversation with them about it, or how it impacts their views today. Nationalism worries me very much. You see it across Europe, in ways more subtle than Brexit. Freedom of movement seems to be viewed very negatively by many people. When visiting my boyfriend’s family in Denmark multiple acquaintances or random people have expressed negative feelings about the fact he’s dating a foreigner.”
Heather, Edinburgh

My grandmother’s garden was bombed during WW2

“This was a traumatic experience and has taught me, as a millennial, not to take peace for granted. Our national curriculum is flawed, however. At school we are taught predominantly about Britain’s role in the war, as if it defeated the Nazi regime singlehandedly. In reality, Britain’s success depended entirely on our continental and global alliances.”
Sonia 22, British, living in Paris

The pandemic has boosted rightwing populists

“The second world war still divides my nation today. Politicians have been using it divide the nation. It’s like a continuous witch-hunt ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia that shifts the focus away from the real lessons of the war. The pandemic too has made me pessimistic. It has enabled a rise in rightwing governments in many parts of Europe which used the lockdown to start implementing their draconian laws.”
Andreja, 30s, Ljubljana, Slovenia

In Italy, few have heard of VE Day

“VE Day symbolises an important victory indeed. People were happy not to be under German oppression anymore, but in Italy most people do not feel it or don’t even know it exists. We mark our own liberation day on 25 April. I can see first hand in Italy what nationalistic propaganda is like and what nationalism-oriented communication is like. It’s scary.”
Lorenzo, 20s, Milan

Commemorating matters

“I think it’s important to acknowledge those who gave up so much for our freedom. My dad lives in South Yorkshire and they have been celebrating VE Day in their socially distanced front gardens! My generation should still learn the lessons of the war. But as our government refused PPE from the EU procurement agreement, it makes me pessimistic about the idea of Britain working with Europe.”
Rosie, primary teacher, 30, South Yorks, based London

Time to move on from a nationalist icon

“I think we need to get away from the second world war as a cultural touchstone. Not forget that it happened but with every passing day the context we live in is further removed from it. It has become warped into a nationalist icon, removed from the reality of what actually happened. The ‘lessons’ people use it to teach are that Britain is special in Europe because we weren’t invaded, fuelling the delusion that we can do everything alone. The tub-thumping pseudo-patriotism of wannabe demagogues is terrifying.”
Nick, PhD student, 26, Manchester

Croatia remains blighted by that era

“For a Croat in particular, the second world war continues to mark my generation as we haven’t been able to transcend divisions dating from then. Some in my generation still struggle to make sense of the lessons of the war. For me it is clear: after the worst modern atrocities on the continent, we as Europeans committed to creating a more peaceful continent. One thing that the Covid crisis might bring is to reveal the inability of nationalist governments to manage the pandemic on their own.”
Luka, 22, Zagreb

Solid wartime values are evident in the pandemic

“Captain Tom and my grandfather exemplify VE Day to me. That stiff upper lip determination that were are not alone and all in this together. Or the Queen saying we will meet again. This crisis shows that the level of support forged in the cauldron of the second world war are still with us. Whether the staff of the NHS or carers, volunteers racing around to deliver food parcels.”
Ben, engineer working as a bin collector, 20s, Carlisle

Britain is obsessed by the war in a way no other country is

“I am anxious about VE Day. My fear is that the loudest voices will be those who want to shout about Britain standing alone and using that to justify a nationalist agenda despite the passage of 75 years. Britain seems obsessed with the war in a way no other European country is.”
Peter, 29, London

I feel blessed that my best friends are now German

“I am the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, and my Dutch grandparents both suffered under German occupation. Being Jewish and living in Amsterdam, the scars of the Jewish community are all over the city. I can’t speak for my generation, but I can say that for me it feels like peace is conditional, it is hard-fought. The fact that many of my best friends are now Germans is a blessing I never take for granted.”
Software engineer, 25, Amsterdam

The UK cherrypicks history

“The second world war teaches us ‘never again’. The trouble is, most people take that to mean just the gas chambers; everything leading up to that point is apparently acceptable. I also think the UK looks on WWII as a glorious victory of the British against the Germans, rather than a collaborative effort against fascism. The UK has cherrypicked and romanticised history, which makes it impossible for us to learn from it.”
Sarah, 31, Milton Keynes

Two lessons matter

“I would say the second world war taught us that no country can make it alone and left us with a deep mistrust of nationalism. However, I look around and I see how little of these two lessons has actually stuck.”
Michaela, scientist, 32, Italy

Young people are ignorant about the parallels

“Too many people my age do not even know about the Holocaust, and just how easily European countries slid into horrific persecution and violence. I think our generation needs to contend with this now more so than ever, with razor-wire fences going up all over European and racism, Islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and gender-based discrimination all on the rise in recent years. A better understanding of this history will remind our generation how easy it is for a society to fall into the abyss.”
Adam, 25, Helsinki

The memory of the war has been corrupted

“The narrative often portrayed in our history lessons was of national pride and British exceptionalism. Having been fortunate to speak to a number of elderly relatives who played a part in the war their stories didn’t match what we were taught, rather they focused on the horrors experienced, and the need for co-operation. I think our generation needs to be aware that the memory of the war has been corrupted to encourage nationalism and British exceptionalism.”
Oliver, student, 21, Norfolk

  • This article was amended on 8 May 2020 to remove some personal information.