Le 8 mai

 

A copy of The New York Times published May 8, 1945, bearing Kennedy’s scoop (AP/Rick Bowmer)

May 8, 1945 symbolized the end of World War II on the European continent. It is a symbol of victory over the Nazis, not Germany. This day is of supreme importance to the making of Europe as we know it. Pictures can only tell a better story than words. This selection of photos below put in perspective the war and its horrors as well as its meaning until today.

London Daily Mirror, May 8, 1945

This series of pictures illustrates the horror and destruction of the war:

June 14, 1940. German military forces parade down from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (Source: German Federal Archive) Damage in Berlin After World War II (Photo Credit: Corbis)

 

 

War-torn Cologne Cathedral stands out of the devastated area on the west bank of the Rhine, in Cologne, Germany, April 24, 1945. (AP Photo)

 

 

A color photograph of the bombed-out historic city of Nuremberg, Germany in June of 1945, after the end of World War II (NARA)

May 8 is much more than a day of military commemoration. It is the embodiment of national and European unity. If one looks at the status of Europe and France 68 years later it is difficult not marvel at the social, political, economical evolutions that we have

Reuters

gone through since. At the exception of the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s, the European continent has been free of bloddy wars between great continental powers. After three massive European civil wars — 1870, World War I, World War II — the European continent has finally risen to its potential. Almost 70 years later watching and monitoring Europe from the other side of the pond is just heartbreaking, considering the different forms of violence and hates arising. The economic and social climates are not at their optimum, unemployment is sky-high, but the welfare state, democracy and justice are still present and well alive. The tensions between political parties should not be perceived as a national rupture but rather as the messiness of democracy. In his uplifting story in the Financial Times, Simon Kuper wrote:

It’s also notable how well European democracies have held up under five years of crisis. In 1981, when shots were fired in Spain’s parliament, that average Spaniard still worried about a fascist coup. Today every western European country is a secure democracy. Contrary to predictions, Europe’s far right hasn’t risen en masse during the crisis, notes the London-based research and advisory group Counterpoint. Nor has western Europe experienced a big terrorist atrocity since 2005.

Nobody said that democracy would be perfect, but it is certainly well alive through the many popular manifestations and vigorous political debates. May 8 is the day where European citizens should take the time to reflect on their nations, duties and emotions rather than taking it as another day of the week. Happy May 8!