With the end of the Second World War, all its violence, war crimes, and
sufferings as well as the atomic threat of the Cold War period,
societies began to gradually remember wars in a different way. The
glorious or honorable element of the age of nationalism was transformed
into a rather dunning one, while peace movements demanded an end of war
itself. To analyze these changes and to show how war was remembered
after the end of the Second World War, the present volume assembles the
work of international specialists who deal with this particular question
from different national and international perspectives. The
contributions analyze the role of soldiers, perpetrators, and victims of
different conflicts, including the Second World War. They show which
motivational settings led to the erection of war memorials reflecting
the values and historical traditions of the second half of the 20th and
the 21st centuries. Thus, this interdisciplinary volume explores how war
is commemorated and how its actors and victims are perceived around the
globe.