Valdai Club

“The results of the Second World War, accepted by the whole civilized world, which fought on the side of Good, cannot be called into question. Revising them is like revising the Ten Commandments, said Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS), speaking at an online discussion held by the Valdai Club on April 14.

According to the speaker, it was the decisions made after the war that laid the foundation for most of the modern world and brought an unprecedented 75 years of international peace to Europe. Therefore, to attempt to revise these results means to blow up this foundation. Medinsky also noted that the war dealt a more forceful blow to some countries than others, and for Russia, which suffered huge losses, this topic is especially personal and sensitive.
Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan (2009–2010), head of the East Asian Community Institute (EACI), stressed that the tragic legacy of the war has not yet been overcome for a number of reasons. Firstly, because it was followed by the Cold War and the tension between Russia and the United States has not subsided to this day. Secondly, since Japan was occupied by US troops after its capitulation, the country continues to be dependent in some respects; thirdly, Japan and Russia have not yet signed a peace treaty. “We have a lot to learn from the EU, and I would like to support the idea of ​​creating a common community in East Asia,” Hatoyama added.

The importance of World War II for Japan was also confirmed by Nobuo Shimotomai, a professor at Hosei University in Tokyo. He also noted that the memory of this event, due to its subjective nature, is now “swinging from side to side.”

Several speeches during the discussion were devoted to how important personal memory of the war is and what role art plays in maintaining it. The famous Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi recalled that the Second World War is “the last experience that united the whole world” and which therefore is always present in the souls of people and in culture, especially literature and cinema. Visual depictions of the war now dominate our perceptions of the struggle all over the world, and allow it to be preserved.

Natalia Koneva, president of the Victory Memorial Fund, emphasised the importance of the great personalities through whom the memory of the war is transmitted, and recalled the “truth of the war”, which was the liberation and salvation of Europe. Alexander Kott, director of the Brest Fortress film, noted that we are all primarily responsible for the future and for adequately raising our children. Grigory Zaslavsky, Rector of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), pointed to the importance of collective memory and lamented the lack of accuracy in the artistic depiction of the war as a conflict between good and evil.

Géza Andreas von Geyr, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to the Russian Federation, expressed “huge respect” to cultural figures touching this topic. According to the speaker, it was on the post-WWII ruins that the European Union emerged – a peaceful integration project based on compromise. Germany became a part of this because the country was able to honestly address its past.

As Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, noted at the conclusion of the discussion, all participants agreed that the memory of the Second World War is highly alive and relevant for all the countries and peoples which participated in it. This memory can still help humanity to face new challenges to unity and community.