Remembrance Sunday
Is it still relevant?
The World Wars were obviously conflicts in which Britain was heavily involved.
Many people died, in overcoming both the Central Powers and Axis respectively.
Since WW2 ended, it has been a tradition to commemorate the war fallen on the 11th of November. This marks the signing of the armistice ending WW1. As the saying goes, it was signed “on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month”.
Is Remembrance Day still relevant?
The World Wars occurred a long time ago. So why should we still commemorate them at this point in time?
Many of the combatants Britain faced are now key allies - Germany, Japan, and Italy certainly meet this billing. Russia and the USSR was an ally in both World Wars. Since 1945, it formed the key enemy in the Cold War. It’s safe to say that Russia today is again an enemy, as a new Cold War has emerged over the Ukraine War and Putin’s aggression. Even though the world wars have shaped the modern world, the geo-political nature today is different vis a vis the early and mid-20th century.
It is a fair point to make. The World Wars will, in time, become as relevant societally as the Napoleonic Wars, the Seven Years’ War, or the Wars of the Three Kingdoms are today. All held a part in shaping Britain in some form, but there isn’t as much of a social attachment to them as the World Wars. The English Roundheads fought alongside and then against the Scots in the mid-17th century. This didn’t prevent either country from uniting in the early 18th century to form what is now the United Kingdom.
A modern view is that the day is to commemorate all wars and all who fought in them. And to remind us that war is brutal and should be avoided the best we can. To cite the old saying “War is hell”. It’s far from a cliche, but actual fact. This is evident in Ukraine, and lately in Gaza following Hamas’s attack on Israel.
I’d argue that the World Wars should be commemorated still, despite them occurring broadly a century ago.
And I believe their commemoration still holds pertinence today:
Still affected by them
The World Wars shaped the world technologically, socially, politically, and economically.
Such effects still persist.
Despite the end of the Cold War in 1991, several countries still hold nuclear weapons. Computer science, leading to the contemporary Internet and the use of computers and smartphones, emerged in WW2. Of course, WW2 ended via the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Even modern arms such as tanks, machine guns, fighters, bombers, etc. used today arose from the World Wars.
The USA retains its superpower status today which it gained after WW2. The same conflict also enabled the People’s Republic of China to form, as well as decolonisation and the end of European colonialism. Most current African and Asian countries are now sovereign and independent on this basis.
The European Union was founded in large part to avert a future European war. Britain joined and then left the EU, but was incited to join due to the perceived economic benefits.
NATO exists as a consequence of the war - as the Cold War was in direct consequence of WW2. Even as wartime Allies, it was known that following the Axis’s defeat, the capitalist Americans and British would face off with the communist Soviets. Due to both sides’ opposing ideologies, it was inevitable some kind of antipathy would arise.
It can be argued that the Second Cold War that emerged following the Ukraine War is itself a consequence of the post-1945 schism. Russia has sought to restore itself to parity and “greatness”, and Putin has cited NATO encroachment as a casus belli for invading Ukraine.
The echoes of the wars are still with us, undoubtedly, and this will persist for some time to come.
Lest we forget
This phrase is often stated around this time. Mainly since it is used to remind us of the horrors of war and the toll it takes on populations.
Remembrance Day was also a mass catharsis for Britain and other Allied nations. It was a way to heal and remember the sacrifices made in the wars.
Such a need for catharsis is not needed now, due to the passage of time.
But since war is terrible, we should be reminded of the need to remember this.
Britain and other Western European countries haven’t directly been touched by war in some time, though complacency isn’t warranted.
The Ukraine and Hamas/Israel wars show that the brutal and seemingly innate nature of humanity hasn’t changed. This possibly may never change. We should be mindful that we must keep this in check, to the best of our ability.
It is forgivable to question Remembrance Day’s relevance.
Though the past invariably informs the future, we’re still being informed by the most terrible wars of the 20th century.