Dan pobjede, odnosno Dan sjećanja na poginule tijekom Drugog svjetskog rata obilježava se 8. svibnja. Današnji dan obilježava se na međunarodnoj razini, i jedan je od važnih svjetskih dana koji se nalazi na popisu UN-a. Dan pobjede proslava je kraja razarajućeg rata koji je odnio živote milijuna vojnika i civila. Europske zemlje pobjedu u Drugom svjetskom ratu slave 8. svibnja. Tog su dana 1945. godine predstavnici nacističke Njemačke u 22:43 prema srednjoeuropskom vremenu potpisali bezuvjetnu kapitulaciju. Kapitulacija je potpisana u predgrađu Berlina.

Rat je promijenio živote najmanje triju generacija diljem svijeta. Preduvjeti za rat postojali su već 1920-ih godina. Sve je započelo usponom Nacionalne fašističke stranke Benita Mussolinija i idejom fašizma. Te su ideje potaknule Adolfa Hitlera na osnivanje Nacionalsocijalističke njemačke radničke stranke (NSDAP). Hitler je svoje rasističke i radikalne, i vrlo opasne ideje pretočio u svoju knjigu „Mein Kampf“ prije nego što je bio izabran za vlast. 30. siječnja 1933. godine Hitler je stupio na vlast nakon pobjede na izborima. Njegove su ideje postale bazom za početak najvećeg rata u ljudskoj povijesti. Rat je uključivao 62 države i preko 80% svjetske populacije. Nacistička Njemačka je zajedno s Italijom i Japanom osnovala Trojni pakt. Kasnije su se Trojnom paktu priključile Mađarska, Rumunjska, Bugarska, Slovačka i Nezavisna Država Hrvatska. Rat je izravno utjecao na 40 država, a crte bojišnice bile su u Europi, Aziji i Africi. Međutim, rat je izravno ili neizravno utjecao gotovo na cijeli svijet. U prvom su dijelu Drugog svjetskog rata koaliciju udruženih zemalja pod nazivom Saveznici predvodili Velika Britanija, SAD i SSSR. Kasnije su im se pridružile Australija, Belgija, Kanada, Čehoslovačka, slobodni dijelovi Francuske, Grčka, Luksemburg, Nizozemska, Novi Zeland, Norveška, Poljska, Južna Afrika i Jugoslavija.

Bio je to potpuno nova vrsta rata, drugačija od svih prethodnih u ljudskoj povijesti. Hitler nije poštovao nikakva pravila ili društvene norme. To je poznato iz Nürnberškog procesa u kojem su Amerikanci, Britanci, Francuzi i Rusi utvrđivali sve zločine koje je počinila nacistička Njemačka. Najvažniji je zločin bio pokretanje rata. To je najveći od svih zločina i teška povreda međunarodnog prava. Hitlerov pristup ratu uključivao je i neselektivno bombardiranje cijelih gradova, poput Roterdama ili Beograda. Jednako je nehuman bio stav nacističke Njemačke prema okupiranim područjima. Lokalno stanovništvo nije se uopće poštovalo. Milijuni ratnih zarobljenika poslani su u kampove i na prisilan rad. Pljačkanje umjetnina, narodnog blaga i poljoprivrednih proizvoda s okupiranih područja također je bilo nešto što su radili.

Jedna od najvećih tragedija Drugog svjetskog rata bila je opsada Lenjingrada (današnjeg Sankt Petersburga) koja je trajala 872 dana. Prema raznim procjenama, u opsadi Lenjingrada poginulo je otprilike milijun stanovnika. Samo je 16 747 ljudi poginulo zbog nacističkog bombardiranja, a ostali su umrli od gladi. Prema službenim brojevima, 649 000 civila poginulo je za vrijeme opsade.

Tisuće civila poginule su u razaranjima gradova, na primjer Coventrya u Engleskoj i Dresdena u Njemačkoj. Ukupan broj žrtava je prema raznim procjenama između 50 i 80 milijuna ljudi, uključujući i civile, i vojnike. Većina su žrtava bili civili, uključujući 6 milijuna Židova i tisuće Roma koji su ubijeni u koncentracijskim logorima. Slaveni su također stradali u milijunima jer ih je Hitler također smatrao inferiornom rasom. I neke druge skupine ljudi bile su na meti, uključujući ljude s mentalnim ili fizičkim teškoćama, homoseksualce, i Jehovine svjedoke.

Kraj Drugog svjetskog rata u Europi bio je važan dan za Rome jer je kraj rata označavao i kraj porajmosa i holokausta Roma. Na suđenju u Nürnbergu genocid nad Židovima priznat je u manje od godinu dana od kraja rata. Zbog toga su Židovima njemačke vlasti morale platiti ratnu odštetu i većina ljudi ne poriče genocid. S porajmosom je bila drugačija priča i to je razlog zbog kojeg porajmos nazivaju „tihim genocidom“. Nacistička je Njemačka istrijebila oko 20 000 od 23 000 Roma u Auschwitzu za vrijeme Drugog svjetskog rata. Ustaški pokret u Nezavisnoj Državi Hrvatskoj je u četiri godine postojanja, uz podršku nacističke Njemačke i fašističke Italije, ubio 16 173 Roma (uključujući 5 608 djece u dobi ispod 14 godina) u koncentracijskom logoru Jasenovac.

Livia Jaroka, članica Europskog parlamenta (MEP) i prva Romkinja koja je izabrana u Europski parlament o porajmosu je rekla slijedeće:

„Mnogo destljeća ovo je bila tema o kojoj nitko nije pričao i nitko za nju nije imao interesa. Iako je mnogo Roma ubijeno za vrijeme porajmosa. Samo nekoliko romskih žrtava holokausta je priznato, a ni oni nisu dobili nikakvu odštetu.

Oni koji su preživjeli taj pakao i vratili se, odlučili su brzo sve zaboraviti. Kao i svim drugim ljudima, i Romima je bilo jako teško nakon rata i bilo ih je strah pričati o svojim iskustvima. Nije postojao način na koje bi se društvo informiralo o tome što se događalo Romima i kroz što su prošli. Dugo vremena nije se o tome pričalo, niti su postojali dokumenti o tragičnoj sudbini Roma u Drugom svjetskom ratu. Međutim, Međunarodni dan sjećanja na romske žrtve porajmosa u današnje se vrijeme obilježava 2. kolovoza.  Na taj je dan uništen dio Auschwitza u kojem su bili Romi i tri tisuće ljudi odjednom je istrijebljeno u plinskim komorama. Uvijek ćemo se sjećati toga.“

Drugi svjetski rat bio je tragedija za ljude u mnogim državama širom svijeta, mnogo je ljudi poginulo, a ljudska patnja je nebrojena. Rat je u Europi završio 8. svibnja 1945. godine potpunim porazom nacističke Njemačke, a Hitler je počinio samoubojstvo nevoljan da se suoči s realnošću. Mnogo se ljudi s bojišta vratilo ranjeno, hendikepirano, psihološki nestabilno nakon svega što su vidjeli. Vratili su se svojim obiteljima koje su također teško patile. Često se dogodilo da ih nije imao tko dočekati, ili nije više bilo kuće ili zgrade u kojoj su odrasli. Za većinu se ljudi život nikad nije vratio na staro.

Ovaj će dan zauvijek ostati upamćen u povijesti i uvijek će biti podsjetnik na strašne patnje milijuna ljudi širom svijeta. Međutim, također bi trebao biti viđen i kao dan slavljenja mira i ponovne nade za budućnost. Sjećanjem na milijune žrtava razarajućeg rata način je sprječavanja ponavljanja istog u budućnosti.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May, 8th is the Victory Day in Europe and is the time for us the remember those who lost their lives during the WWII. Today is an annual international day of remembrance designated by the UN. It is a celebration of the end of a devastating war that cost the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians. European countries are celebrating the end of the Second World War on May, 8. On that day in 1945 at 22:43 CET representatives of Nazi Germany signed the act of unconditional surrender. It took place on the outskirts of Berlin.

 

The war changed lives of at least 3 generations of people around the world. In the 1920s the preconditions for the war were already in place. It started from the rise of Benito Mussolini's revolutionary party and the ideas of Fascism. These ideas inspired Adolf Hitler to form the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party). Hitler made public his racist, radical and very dangerous ideas in his book “Mein Kampf” before he was elected in power. On January, 30, 1933, Hitler's party came to power after winning the election. His ideas become the base for starting the largest war in the history of mankind, involving 62 countries and over 80% of the world's population. Nazi Germany with Italy and Japan formed the Tripartite Pact. Later, the Tripartite Pact was joined by Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and the Independent State of Croatia. The WWII directly affected 40 countries and frontlines in Europe, Asia, and Africa. But the war directly or indirectly touched almost the entire world. In the first part of the WWII coalition of allied countries under the name of United Nations coalition was led by the UK, the US, and USSR. They were joined by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free France, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia.

 

It was completely new type of war, unlike previous wars in human history. Hitler had no respect for rules or social norms. This can be learned from the results of the Nuremberg Trials, where the Americans, the British, the French and the Soviets decided what Nazi Germany was guilty of. As it been concluded, first and foremost, the biggest crime was starting the war. It is the greatest of all crimes and violation of international law. But significant difference in Hitler's approach to the war was also how he commanded non-selective bombardment of cities like Rotterdam or Belgrade. Equally antihuman was the attitude of Nazi army towards occupied territories. There was a total lack of respect for local civilian population. Millions of prisoners of war were sent to camps and enslaved for force labor. The looting of art objects and other national treasures, agricultural and industrial products, and other forms of property from the occupied countries was another routine thing. 

 

One of the worst tragedies of WWII was siege of Leningrad (nowadays Saint-Petersburg) what lasted for 872 days. According to various estimates, the siege of Leningrad had cost the lives of almost a million of the city's inhabitants. At the same time, only 16 747 citizens of Leningrad died from being bombed by the Nazis, the remaining died from starvation. Officially, 649 000 of civilians died during the siege.

 

Thousands of civilians found dead in destruction of cities including Coventry in England and Dresden in Germany. Total casualties, according to various estimates, are between 50 and 80 million people, taking into account both military and civilians. Most of the victims were civilian, including 6 million Jews and thousands of Roma killed in concentration camps. Millions of victims were Slavs, whom Hitler considered as inferior race as well.  Some other specific groups were targeted, including people with mental and/or physical disabilities, homosexuals, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

The end of WWII in Europe was important day for Roma, because the end war meant the end of Porajmos or Holocaust of Roma. On Nuremberg trials the genocide towards Jewish people was commonly accepted in less than a year after the war.  Because of that Jewish people were paid reparations by the German authorities and most of the people do not questioning facts of the genocide. With Porajmos it was another story and that’s why many people called Porajmos as “silent genocide”. During the WWII Nazi Germany exterminated 20 000 out of 23 000 Roma in Auschwitz concentration camp. And the Ustasha movement in the Independent State of Croatia [NDH], during the four years of its existence with the full support of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, killed 16 173 Roma in Jasenovac concentration camp, including 5 608 children under the age of 14.

 

Livia Yaroka, MEP and the first Roma woman been elected to the European Parliament, says about Porajmos:

“For many decades this was a silenced topic, no one was interested in it. Although a large number of Roma people were killed during the Porajmos years. Only a few were officially recognized as victims of the Holocaust. But even those did not receive any adequate compensation.

The survivors of that hell came back and decided to quickly forget everything. Like other people, Roma had a very difficult time after the war, and were afraid to talk about their experiences. In addition, there was no way of informing society about what Roma had gone through - no access to the media and no communication with the authorities. So yes, for a long time we had no oral histories or documentation of the terrible fate of Roma during the Second World War. But now we have an international Porajmos Day - 2 August. On this day in 1944, the Roma camp at Auschwitz was liquidated - three thousand people were exterminated in gas chambers at once. We will always remember this.”

 

The WWII was a tragedy for the people of many countries around the world, bringing unprecedented human losses and countless suffering to millions of people from each side. On May 8 1945 World War II was over in Europe with the total defeat of Nazi Germany, and Hitler committed suicide unwilling to face reality. Many people get back from the frontline handicapped, wounded, psychologically unstable after the things they have seen. And they join their families who suffer terribly. Many times, there was nobody to welcome them or there was no more houses and buildings they grew up in. For the majority of people, life never went back to the way it was.

 

This day will remain forever in history and will always be a reminder of the terrible suffering of millions around the world. But it is also should be seen as the celebration of peace and rebirth of the future for the entire world. Reminding ourselves today about the millions of victims of that devastating war is the way to prevent it from happening in the future.