Contrasts of War: Memorials in Berlin and London

You've probably heard of the phrase "history is written by the victor." The winning side earns the honor and valor for their efforts in the war, whereas the losing side falls under the shadow of the victor. And when it comes to war conmemoration, there are some clear differences between the memorials in Berlin and London.

While studying at these two cities, I spent most of my free time exploring the war monuments to learn more about the cultural approaches of war rememberance. London has tons of war memorials that date back to World War I, whereas Berlin displays monuments of Soviet soldiers and memorials dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust.

After the end of World War II, the victory of the Allies allowed emotions of great patriotism which also encouraged the edification of war memorials to honor the soldiers who dedicated their lives on the battlefield. But what about the losing side? What do they get? Well, Hitler's Nazi Germany would collapse in shame and would lose every priviledge they once had prior to the war. Towards the end of World War II, the Soviet Red Army rushed into Berlin to put an end to the war once and for all. It wouldn't take long before the Soviet Union decided to build war memorials on German soil as a marker of their victory.

The shame that Germany felt after the war is still evident in today's society as memorials for the victims of the Holocaust resonate the German approach of rememberance. Moreover, it's quite magnificient to see the different displays between both British and Soviet war memorials. They both capture the embodiment of both militaries with such heroic imagery.