Author Description

Instrumentalization Of The Wartime Past For Political Gain Is The Subject Of This Study Of Eleven World War Ii Commemorations. Using A Comparative, Conceptually Original Approach, Jennifer Yoder Identifies The Actors Who Manipulate Memory Surrounding Wartime Anniversaries, Such As The Bombing Of Dresden And Ceremonies To Honour Fallen Soldiers And Fascist Collaborators. The Cases Of Memory Contestation Span Three Geographic Regions, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, And Russia, Recognizing That Each Developed Distinctive Interpretations Of The War And Different Patterns Of Memory Politics. Introduction To The Politicization Of World War Ii In Europe And Russia: Actors And Strategies In Recent Memory Wars -- Right-wing Challenges To Cosmopolitan Memory In Western Europe -- Restoration Of Fallen Soldiers To The Pantheon Of National Heroes: Commemorations In Eastern Europe -- August 23, 1939: From A Non-event To A Russian Weapon Against Poland (and The West) -- Commemoration Of Victory Day: The Many Meanings Of The War's End -- The Present Meanings Of The Wartime Past By Jennifer A. Yoder. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.