On May 8, 1945, the defeat of Nazi Germany to the Allies was formalized, thus ending World War II. Russia celebrates the date as Victory Day, and Putin takes the opportunity to make war propaganda. Liberation Day, Victory Day, VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day): the date that marks the end of the Second World War in Europe and the victory about Nazism has many names. In some countries, such as France and Slovakia, it is a public holiday; in Germany, a memorial day. After 12 years under the brutal Nazi regime, nearly six years of war, 60 million dead and 6 million Jews murdered, Nazi Germany admitted defeat on May 8, and the war was over.
Some countries celebrate the end of World War II on other dates. The Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht (Armed Forces of Nazi Germany), Alfred Jodl, signed the document of surrender to the Western Powers in Reims on the night of 6-7 May 1945, and it took effect on 8 May at 11:01 pm
Soviet dictator Josef Stalin wanted surrender to take place in his sphere of power as well. Therefore, on the night of May 8-9, Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, head of the Supreme Command of the German Armed Forces, ratified the surrender document at Soviet headquarters in Berlin. Russia therefore traditionally celebrates its Victory Day on May 9.
In the Netherlands, the end of the German occupation is celebrated on a grand scale at the “Bevrijdingsdag” on 5 May.
Two Germanys, Two Visions
It took Germany a long time to find a way to deal with the 8th of May. For the population, the surrender marked the beginning of the so-called “zero hour”. Nobody wanted to look back. The day symbolized defeat and liberation at the same time.
For the young Federal Republic of Germany (RFA), West Germany, it was very confusing to deal with at first. The newly founded German Democratic Republic (GDR), East Germany, on the other hand, took the Soviet path, saw itself as an anti-fascist state and therefore without responsibility for Nazi Germany. For some years, May 8 was even an official holiday.
In West Germany, on the other hand, people reacted strangely to Liberation Day. Konrad Adenauer, the first federal chancellor, even insisted that the Basic Law be passed on the night of May 8, 1949. In a dossier, the Federal Civic Education Agency lists quotes from the meeting, according to which Adenauer is said to have said: “ It is probably the first day of joy for us Germans since 1933. We want to count from then on, and not from the collapse, however difficult the years of the collapse were”.
Thus, German President Richard von Weizsäcker was not the first to cite May 8 as the “Liberation Day” of the inhumane system of National Socialist tyranny, in his historic speech in 1985. But his speech remained in memory, and at the same time he reminded Germans that they must face their individual guilt and responsibility.
In 2020, May 8 was a public holiday in the country, but in other years it is always remembered as a memorial day. Even before 2020, and even today, there are discussions to make the day a permanent holiday.
Instrumentation by Russia
In Russia, Victory Day, as it is called in post-Soviet space, for decades was a day of mourning. The Soviet Union lost millions of its citizens during World War II. The day was instituted to remember this. But for a few years, that has been changing. President Vladimir Putin is increasingly using the date for domestic political purposes.
As early as 2020, a study by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs warned that, under Putin, the Soviet story is being told more and more in a one-sided way, in order to make the current regime seem stronger and in continuity with the old one. great power, the Soviet Union.
Under Putin, for example, the pompous military parades on May 9 were reintroduced. In Moscow, in the Patriotic Park, it was still possible to visit a church with frescoes from the Red Army until the more recent wars in Georgia and Syria.
At the 2021 military parade, Putin said: “Russia consistently upholds international law. At the same time, we will firmly defend our national interests to ensure the security of our people. The courageous Russian Armed Forces, heirs of the soldiers of victory, are a reliable guarantee of this.” In the tradition of the Red Army, Putin propagates the image of the great threatened empire.
This also explains why he has been calling Ukraine “fascist” not only since the invasion of the neighboring country in February, but since 2014, building once again continuity with the Nazi era. Ingo Mannteufel, a longtime Russian expert at DW, notes this development: “Putin and Russian state propaganda made the historic surrender of Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945, a central narrative for the Kremlin’s current political actions.”
“The Soviet victory against Nazi Germany is thus used to justify the war of aggression against Ukraine that began on February 24th. In this way, the 9th of May lost its function as a historical reminder of the suffering of millions of people and became an aggressive propaganda tool for Putin’s Russia”, analyzes Mannteufel.
Fear of expanding war in Ukraine
As a result, speculation has prevailed for weeks that Putin could use May 9 this year to once again increase propaganda in the war against Ukraine. Experts such as Christian Democratic Union (CDU) foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter fear a general mobilization that would allow Putin to recruit tens of thousands of new soldiers.
Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is planning a military parade in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, largely besieged by Russian troops.
In this way, the 9th of May could be an instrument of propaganda rather than a day of remembrance. The Ukrainians, but also the Russians, are trying to oppose this, at least in the West. For example, a broad alliance convened events in Berlin to address the responsibility of the date and defend peace.
The Karlshorst Historical Museum in Berlin is also planning events, such as a church service and a “peace warning”. There, the surrender document was ratified on May 8, 1945. The museum decided a few days ago to stop using the name Russian-German Museum. Now, only the Ukrainian flag flies in front of the site.
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