History of the War and Wars of History: Teaching the Second World War and the Holocaust in Post-Soviet Belarus

Abstract

Belarus is the only post-Soviet state to have fully adopted the interpretation of both the former Soviet authorities and today's Belarusian political regime on the fundamental role played by the Second World War in the construction of the country's historical narrative and national identity. This memory serves to sacralise Soviet legacy and to legitimise the present political system, which is anchored in this legacy. Modern Belarusian historiography can be divided into two major schools: Soviet and nationalist. Currently, the Soviet view of history dominates with the support of the political authorities. The education system aims to transmit the official Soviet interpretation of a sacred role played by the Second World War in the history of Belarus. This paper investigates discourse on the Second World War in Belarusian society and in school history textbooks, focusing on the following key themes: the Nazi occupation, the Holocaust, the collaboration, the partisans’ movement.