Commemorating World War II: How Nations Honor Their Dead
Vienna, April 21, 2026 — The Second World War claimed between 70 and 85 million lives. Eight decades later, the former belligerents are still grappling with the appropriate form of remembrance. While Europe celebrates May 8th as Liberation Day, Russia commemorates May 9th with military parades. China remembers the victory over Japan on September 3rd. The culture of remembrance reveals not only historical wounds but also current geopolitical tensions.
Europe's Divided Memory
In Western Europe, remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and resistance to fascism dominates. France celebrates May 8th as a national holiday, while Great Britain commemorates all fallen soldiers on Remembrance Day in November. Germany holds a special position: May 8th was only officially recognized as Liberation Day in 1985 by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker. In Austria, April 27th is significant as the Declaration of Independence Day, but a unified day of remembrance for war victims is still lacking. Meanwhile, Eastern Europe grapples with a dual legacy: liberation from National Socialism seamlessly transitioned into Soviet occupation. Poland, the Baltic states, and Ukraine have fundamentally reoriented their culture of remembrance since 1989.
Asia's difficult legacy
China has declared September 3rd an official day of remembrance – the anniversary of Japan's surrender in 1945. In Nanjing, a monumental museum commemorates the 1937 massacre, during which, according to Chinese figures, over 300,000 civilians were murdered. Japan itself observes August 15th as a day of remembrance, when Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender. The differing perspectives continue to strain relations to this day. Visits by Japanese politicians to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where convicted war criminals are also honored, regularly trigger diplomatic crises. South Korea, in turn, celebrates August 15th as Liberation Day from Japanese colonial rule. The historical conflicts overshadow economic and security policy interests in a region that is currently at the center of global power shifts.
Commemoration as a Political Instrument
The way we remember is never neutral. For years, Russia's pompous Victory Day parades on May 9th have served to legitimize domestic politics and have been increasingly instrumentalized since 2022 to justify the war in Ukraine. China also uses the commemoration of Japanese war crimes to historically underpin territorial claims in the East and South China Seas. At the same time, historians worldwide are calling for a more nuanced approach. The role of colonial troops from Africa and Asia who fought for European powers is only slowly finding its way into official memory culture. The fate of the so-called comfort women – Korean and Chinese women forced into prostitution in Japanese military brothels – also remains an unresolved chapter.
The Two Sides of Power
Memorials and holidays keep the memory of unimaginable suffering alive. But they are also projection surfaces for present-day politics. Whoever holds the interpretive authority over history shapes a nation's self-understanding – and legitimizes decisions for the future. In a world where war has returned to Europe and new conflicts loom in Asia, the question gains urgency: Are we remembering to warn – or to mobilize? YANUS will continue to follow this topic.
