Let’s Not Upset the Germans

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Clarissa

February 13, 2014

Have you watched the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi? I haven’t because it isn’t my thing but here is something interesting: the organizers wanted to honor during the ceremony the memory of those who died in WWII. (The whole opening ceremony was based on the history of Russia, and the victory of the USSR in WWII is the most important event of that history.)

The International Olympic Committee forbade, however, any but the most perfunctory references to the war because this subject upsets the Germans. And you know how things are these days. Nobody wants to upset the Germans because they’ve got the cash.

The activity in honor of the fallen was to be as follows. Everybody present at the opening ceremony was going to be asked to hold a photo of a person who died in the war and raise it at the same time. This would honor the memory of the dead heroes making everybody feel as if they were present among the living.

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5 responses to “Let’s Not Upset the Germans”

valter07

February 13, 2014

Is that an official opinion of IOC or somebody’s analysis?
Because to me this not upsetting the Germans seems very secondary.
As you rightly mentioned, the victory in WWII is one of the most important point in Russia’s history, and the source of pride. But it turned into THE most important point and the source of unifying national idea. The ideological Holy Cow. Now one is not supposed to explore the WWII history objectively, or else. You will be accused of “fashism” or “offending the memory of the fallen”. Everything related to WWII turned into a huge propaganda tool. Which is used much more extensively either internally, or against the Eastern Europe, than against Germany. Germany seems to be appropriately sorry. These are the Eastern European nations, including Ukraine, who claim they were the third force, fighting mostly for themselves, against both Nazis and the Soviets… and in general, the role of the USSR in the WWII is fairly… complex, especially before 22/06/1941. Overall, the issue of WWII got so politicized internally that IOC advised Russia to avoid this topic, as opening ceremony of the Games is not a proper place to trick everybody into affirming one’s nation-building tools.
With all due respect to those who actually died.
And despite everything I said above, I would not be offended if Russians actually followed through with this idea. It would be better, though, if it turned into honoring ALL victims, not just those from Russia/SU.

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1. Clarissa
  
  February 13, 2014
  
  “But it turned into THE most important point and the source of unifying national idea. ”
  
  – Well, since there is no competing event, what can people do? Look at Americans. They are trying to appropriate this victory because they haven’t done anything good and important since the XVIIIth century.
  
  “These are the Eastern European nations, including Ukraine, who claim they were the third force, fighting mostly for themselves, against both Nazis and the Soviets”
  
  – A few freaks in Ukraine do not stand for all Ukrainians.
  
  “and in general, the role of the USSR in the WWII is fairly… complex, especially before 22/06/1941.”
  
  – I really don’t see what’s so complex. Stalin made the war possible and inevitable, Soviet people won it.
  
  “Overall, the issue of WWII got so politicized internally that IOC advised Russia to avoid this topic, as opening ceremony of the Games is not a proper place to trick everybody into affirming one’s nation-building tools.”
  
  – Raising portraits of the fallen? What is so politicized about that? I remain convinced that the Germans are against this, and everybody is too chicken to antagonize them.
  
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Shakti

February 13, 2014

Everything is politicized, including how and if we remember the dead. The Olympics are all about papering over the differences at least for the two weeks in which they occur.
I don’t think it’s just about not upsetting the Germans. Isn’t the EU only twenty years old and barely holding together? How did they remember World War II in the opening ceremony?
To expect an unsanitized history lesson during an Olympic opening ceremony is folly.

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John Hayden

February 14, 2014

People the world over are sensitive about their past wars.

I hear that: In Russia it’s not a good idea to question the siege of Leningrad; In England, it’s touchy to question whether fighting World War I was a good idea; And of course the Germans would rather just forget the entire period, 1914-1945.

In the U.S. it was formerly OK for people in both North and South to honor their respective armies and soldiers of the Civil War. But in recent decades, it has become politically incorrect to say anything positive about the Confederate states or their military because of the association with slavery.

Willful historical blindness is dangerous because of the notion that those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. If we try to wipe these wars out of history, we may be running a real risk. For example, division and disagreement between North and South persists today. The northeastern states are Democratic Blue, and the former Confederate states are Republican red.

At the risk of being totally insensitive and politically incorrect, I will admit to some concern about German power. That nation, more than any other in modern history, it seems to me, was seriously inclined to conquer all of Europe, and beyond.

I think it’s naive to deny the possible rekindling (in some form) of animosities leading to the 19th century American Civil War or the 20th century European wars.

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1. Clarissa
  
  February 14, 2014
  
  “I think it’s naive to deny the possible rekindling (in some form) of animosities leading to the 19th century American Civil War or the 20th century European wars.”
  
  – I agree. The Spanish Civil War offers a particularly important lesson. Or a series of lessons. This is not something that has been left behind and can be safely forgotten. The reasons people fought in that war are as present and painful as they were in 1936.
  
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