What is taught in other nations schools about WW1/2?

[Knight-Dragon]

Interesting... did the Japanese treat the people of Malaysia well? Were they an improvement from leaders before the war?

Depends on which ethnicity you're fr. After Singapore fell, the Japanese machine-gunned 50000 randomly picked Chinese men on the beaches of Singapore ('cause the Nanyang Chinese were ardent supporters of China, which was being invaded by Japan at this time). Goes to show...

The Japanese generally left the Malays alone.

 

[No idea]

In New Zealand we learn about Gallipoli mostly and a bit about the western front in WW1.And also about the origins of WW1. For WW2 we learn about the origins (treaty of Versailles and stuff) and a bit about the places where New Zealanders fought (Italy, North Africa and a bit in the Pacific), but mostly about the origins.

 

[Steph]

I'm not really sure, because usually I came in history lessons knowing more that what the program was supposed to teach us.

But I think we cover most of WWI and WWII with enough details. But we don't see the battle themselves. We know who fought them, but not really how they were fought. The important part is what was their effect.

We also spent some time to study the origin and consequences of the war. Like for instance the alliance system, tension during colonization, etc that lead to WWI.

Of course, we focus more on the French part of the wars, and don't speak much of Pacific or other distant front. But it's not to biased I think.

 

[Longasc]

Steph, this is quite similar to Germany. The battles itself are presented as results.

This is not really wrong, but this expands to whole military campaigns, and as WW2 had tons of them and basically was a military campaign for the most part, I always got the impression something is missing.

 

[blindside]

We go through World War I pretty quickly. We cover the reasons(assasination/nationalism/alliances/etc.) and a bit about the war, mostly when the US got involved. Still we don't spend as much time as I would like to.

We went a bit more in depth with WW2. Cover the major battles in Europe and Pacific (where/winner/signifigance) and stuff about the homefront. We don't talk much about the Eastern front or North Africa/Italy. Some about Normandy/Britain. Unbalanced since the majority of the war was fought in Russia.

BTW I'm in the US.

 

[Dann]

China:
World War I:
Almost nothing. The then Beiyang government of China joined the allies at the last minute, and only because Japan joined. Didn't do any fighting at all.

World War II:
Tons of material devoted to it, especially Japanese aggression and atrocities from since the 1930s up until the end in 1945. So effective was this indoctrination there are teenagers today who still hate the Japanese with a passion.

Philippines:
World War I:
Nothing. The so-called "Philippine Insurrection" has just been bloodily supressed, and Filipinos were in the process of being "educated" by the Americans. (We, however, prefer to call it the Philippine-American War, which of course we lost. ) Philippines had nothing to do at all with World War I.

World War II:
Quite a bit. Contrary to other countries in Southeast Asia, Filipinos were treated badly by the Japanese. For some reason, they were fanatically loyal to their colonial masters the Americans. Guerillas everywhere even after McArthur fled and Wainwright surrendered

Depends on which ethnicity you're fr. After Singapore fell, the Japanese machine-gunned 50000 randomly picked Chinese men on the beaches of Singapore ('cause the Nanyang Chinese were ardent supporters of China, which was being invaded by Japan at this time). Goes to show...

The Japanese generally left the Malays alone.

In the Philippines it's the reverse. The natives got it worse than the Chinese, because there were more Filipino guerillas than Chinese guerillas. That a lot of Japanese soldiers stationed there were actually drafted from Taiwan might also have helped...

 

[luiz]

In Brazil we are taught the marxist versions of both wars.

So here what it´s like:
WW1 was the natural result of a capitalist/imperialist world, doomed to destroy itself. We learn a bit about the Schieflen plan and its failure. We also are taught that both sides were unable to defeat each other until the americans, moved by the desire to receive the loans they made to the brits back, invaded Europe and won the war.
We also learn about the Versailles Pact and how the french/british greed destroyed peace.

WW2, according to them, was the confrontation of the Capitalist Pigs, the Fascist Pigs, and the grand freedom-loving Soviet Union. The Ribbentrop-Molotov pact is overlooked as something almost meaningless, as a mere contigency. In fact, one of my teachers went as far as to blame the Pact on english imperialists threats to Russia.
We are taught that the russians won the war alone, that D-Day was only ment to occupy Western Europe, and that the soviet troops were honourable liberators who behaved like true gentlemen.
The Pacific War is portrayed as american aggression against Japan. We are taught that Pearl Harbor was "clearly" provoked. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they say, were the greatest tragedies of the 20th Century.

That´s what it´s like to study history in Brazil since the marxist inteligentsia took by assault all schools, public or private.

 

[Longasc]

Even worse, some Brazilians have Rasputin-Avatars!!!

Now this is really stunning, luiz. Certainly there is always a biased viewpoint, but the honorable gentleman liberators are a bit far-fetched. Basically only Russia comes out of this war with a clean vest. While Nazis and Western Allies are the baddies.

Hey, I wonder how they explained how Pearl Harbor was provoked? Was it an pre-emptive strike to prevent something or what?

 

[privatehudson]

America had been opposing Japan's efforts in some areas such as china and Dutch East Indies IIRC, twist the facts enough and I'm sure the propaganda chiefs could justify the war.

 

[Hunter]

Hmm I will need to learn more about Brazil since I had thought they were closer to the western powers then the comunists. What style of government dose Brazil have?

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Bright day
And we because of circumstances learn mostly socio-political perspective till the beginning of second war. We learn that democracy failed, and we are still hang up on being betrayed by our allies. And then we of cours are teached how we were sold again, after the war.

The Czechs should have fought alone...taken responsibility for their own independence.

 

[Squonk]

Bright day
And we because of circumstances learn mostly socio-political perspective till the beginning of second war. We learn that democracy failed, and we are still hang up on being betrayed by our allies. And then we of cours are teached how we were sold again, after the war.

Wasn't tchechoslovakia the only country in Eastern Europe in which the communists were really popular?

 

[Tomoyo]

Inuted Stetas:

WWII

Overview: Hitler evil. Nazi evil. Evil guys powerful. With justice, evil get killed by us. Commies don't get any credit, because they're evil.

We get taught about the later parts of the war, but only the parts where the US had troops. I'm probably the only one in my grade that knows anything about Stalingrad or the battle for Britain.

WWI: I don't know enough about WWI anyway to say whether we got propaganda or the truth.

 

[Communisto]

bah, i'm in grade eight (Canada) and pretty soon we'll be starting ww1. Finally an interesting subject not just about stupid treaties in Quebec. Anyways since I know far more than anyone will learn this year or what is in the text book i'm interested in seeing how much pro-monarchist propaganda will be in it. I suppose it will cover the basics for canada, vimy, paschundaele (sp?) and others.

 

[luiz]

Even worse, some Brazilians have Rasputin-Avatars!!!

Rasputin gotta be the coolest historical character ever!

Now this is really stunning, luiz. Certainly there is always a biased viewpoint, but the honorable gentleman liberators are a bit far-fetched. Basically only Russia comes out of this war with a clean vest. While Nazis and Western Allies are the baddies.

Far-fetched, yes, but exaclty what we are told.

Hey, I wonder how they explained how Pearl Harbor was provoked? Was it an pre-emptive strike to prevent something or what?

The american foreign policy in relation to Japan was rather hostile indeed, but from there to say that the attack was provoked there is a huge stretch. But they say it nevertheless.

 

[luiz]

Hmm I will need to learn more about Brazil since I had thought they were closer to the western powers then the comunists.

Oh, we are closer to the western powers.
But the high-school teachers, college professors, intellectuals and many politicians have not abandoned orthodox marxism. As a brazilian writer once said, in Brazil the Berlin Wall has not fallen yet.

What style of government dose Brazil have?

Similar to a scandinavian social-democracy, except that we're poor. In other words, the government taxes the hell out of us just like in Scandinavia, but offers no decent services in return.

 

[MattII]

Auckland New Zealand
5th form/NCEA level 1 History-lead up to WWII in Europe and Japanese atrocities in China
6th form/NCEA level 2 History-origins of WWI (that I know of, but I didn't take it).

 

[Suppersalmon]

At my school (England) they taught us:
The things that lead up to ww1 then some of the battles though not much in depth.
Russian Revolotion
The treaty of Versailles
Hitlers Rise
Britain at home dureing WW2
D-Day
and then the fall out after WW2

 

[Kamilian]

Not sure about Poland since I was there only until I was in 2nd grade, but in Polish Saturday School:

WW1 we are taught kinda more in-general; we discuss stuff like what led to it but then we go into a) what was happening in the partitioned sections of Poland (the political and volunteer-military movements that were forming - some pro-Russian, others pro-Austrian), and b) the Russian Revolutions. And, right after the WW1, we are taught about the hard re-formation of Poland as an independent republic: the battles and uprisings in the Western Provinces (Poznan/Posen, parts of Slask/Silesia), the rivalry with Czechoslovakia over Cieszyn/Teschen, the conflict with Lithuania over Wilno (the Lithuanians didn't want to rejoin Poland as it had been before the partitions), and the Russo-Polish War.

WW2:
We are taught about the political, economic, social situation in Poland in the 1930s, from Pilsudski to the harsher Sanacja regime, to the eve of the war and the clash with Germany over Danzig.
Then: a) British and French promises to help Poland; b) the German invasion; c) the Soviet invasion; d) Fourth Partition; e) the situation for both Poles and Jews in (Soviet and German) occupied Poland; f) the resistance; g) the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943 and the Warsaw Uprising in 1944; h) overview of the losses of life and atrocities committed in Poland by the occupiers.
Immediately after the war: a) political civil war between the remnants of the AK and the communist Lublin government; b) effects of the treaties made by the Allies regarding E. Europe on Poland - basically, selling Poland to the communists; c) the beginning of the repressive Stalinist regime and "erasure" of the Warsaw Uprising from the state-sponsored history books or turning it into just a footnote.

 

[joacqin]

It wasnt very indepth really and my recollection is blurred between junior high and high school. As for WW1 we mostly learnt that Europe was a powder keg waiting to explode and that Princip set it off in Sarajevo and which nations were on which side. Then we were just told that there was trench warfare and that it was horrible and that in the end Germany and Austria-Hungary were defeated. That the Russian revolution occured during this time is tossed in as well.

As for WW2 as many have said it is mostly concentrated on the rise of the nazis and the holocause and all that. Of the war per se it was mostly just said that the Nazis were succesful at first but that the Russian winter broke them and the American's of D-day dealt the killing blow. Of the pacific theatre we were pretty much just told that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and that Hiroshima and Nagasika was nuked.

Oh, and Sweden's non-participation is just mentioned briefly by pretty much saying that we managed to stay out of it by kissing up to everyone. There were some talk about the Swedish volunteers sent to Finland.