History and Memory
The Second World War in Europe
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Memory and history differ in nature, yet they overlap in many ways. Memory is history reflected in emotions. The truth of historical interpretation depends on sources. The truths of memory depend on emotions and the passage of physiological time. Many national narratives about the Second World War involve heroic tales. However, the suffering of the civilian population in Europe during the war stubbornly resists any heroization.
(Osteuropa 10/2025, pp. 69–78)