How does your country teach World War II?

[Sixgunsound]

In the US this video is played on loop until kids stop raising their hands to ask questions. Though that could be said of most history classes in US public schools since the beginning of 2002.

[Astarlessnightsky]

In germany it starts with the Weimar Republik, the first democratic state after the monarchy which was abolished after the first World War.

How 30 parties were the norm and how Adolf Hitler used certain laws to get rid of most of them, how his actions brought prosperity back to germany, how he got more and more approved.

We also discuss the holocaust, read sources like news articles, letters, posters, flyers, books, ... about how people knew exactly whats going on, how they still approved the genocides, ...

And lastly we also discuss the split in east and west germany and what had to be done to reunite the country.

We don't really discuss the war itself, besides the first attack on poland, and how the war was lost as germany fought on two fronts against russia and UK.

[Sixgunsound]

I’ve asked this question on other forums besides here and you are the first German to answer.

[Sixgunsound]

I wish the Weimar Republic would be taught in US schools, but it would make too many people take a harder look at where we are now.

[Astarlessnightsky]

Its too much to learn, in germany we don't discuss anything related to the US American history, besides Columbus found a new continent, many countries colonised it, and now we got Amazon which refuses to pay taxes.

[Sixgunsound]

I like hearing how different countries teach different things. In the US we only get taught how our interactions with other countries made us the only remaining superpower and how we just keep win win winning through superior firepower on the battlefield and the corporate board room. Nothing about what that has cost the rest of the world, or character formation, or much of anything about the rest of the world except are they with us or against us. Nuance and subtlety are not a part of the curriculum.

[Sixgunsound]

It’s like the world we broke away from to do our own thing didn’t exist before we broke away from it. History in US schools jumps from early humans to Greece and Rome to the war for independence and then starts to get serious about studying history. I feel very shortchanged, even having spent some time in university as a history student before switching to teaching.

[AngryCarl]

We won. America came in at the end to take all the credit.

What? That's what we were taught.

[Sixgunsound]

I’m not upset I was more curious what other countries actually teach. You couldn’t think I was seriously going to get upset posting the video that we basically get to it right?

[AngryCarl]

I don't know you, so maybe. I didn't watch the video.

[Sixgunsound]

The creators of South Park made an accurate documentary of the inside of a US history classroom🤣

[Sixgunsound]

Life is too short to be so easily offended.

[AngryCarl]

I agree.

[Julie4]

Through the textbooks lol.


But you could summarize it as "Hitler is evil". 🤣

[Sixgunsound]

In the US if a Republican is president we’re supposed to hate terrorists if a Democrat is president we’re supposed to hate whoever they are telling us are Nazis this time. It’s all a sham. We haven’t been around long enough to develop a 1,000 year feud like Greece and Turkey or England and France.

[Sixgunsound]

The political decision makers need us focused on an enemy that is not them or else the whole system collapses.

[Julie4]

Well e. In reality all states have "enemies" but they vary according to the national interests of each nation at different levels.

The US may not have rivals as old as France or other countries, but honestly it doesn't matter.

It is in the nature of states to have rivals. For example, France and England have been at war for almost 600 years, but since 1815, England and we have been more closely allied because our interests, which were once divergent, have begun to converge.

The United States have today as main enemy China, in the past in your fight against the USSR China was an ally etc.

Therefore, even if the US, due to its young history, does not have a rivalry as old as other nations, in reality it does not matter, because rivalries are changing and your biggest enemy of yesterday can become your ally of today.

By the way, the US may be a young nation, but it is a young nation that dominates the world, not bad for a nation that is not yet 300 years old.

[Msputiton]

Lmfao. Where you go to school, cuhh🤣

[Sixgunsound]

Believe it or not my divorced single mother sent me to Catholic school🤣 That should tell you everything you need to know about her.

[Msputiton]

Lmao. You funny

[Sixgunsound]

Appreciate it