Important Quote by Tony Judt
“It's important to remember that World War II was experienced very much as a continuity in that sense. Most of World War II in most of Europe wasn't a war; it was an occupation. The war was at the beginning and the end, except in Germany and the Soviet Union, and even there really only at the end. So the rest of time it's an occupation, which in some ways was experienced as an extension of the interwar period. World War II was simply an extreme form, in a whole new key, of the disruption of normal life that began in 1914.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt, 2005
World War II in Europe functioned largely as an occupation, extending the upheaval that began in 1914 rather than a distinct, conventional war.
In simple terms: The war was more like a prolonged occupation than a separate conflict.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the continuity of disruption across wars.
Themes
history
war
occupation
continuity
disruption
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
historical
interpretive
When to use this quote
- studying WWII
- teaching European history
- analyzing civilian life
- comparing interwar and wartime periods
Key Concepts
European history
total war
civilian experience
Questions to Reflect On
- How does framing WWII as occupation change our understanding of civilian suffering?
- What implications does this have for postwar reconstruction narratives?
A Different Perspective
The view may understate active combat phases and resistance movements.
![“Lieux de memoire . . . 'exist because there are no longer any milieux de memoire , settings in which memory is a real part of everyday experience.' And what are lieux de memoire ? [They] are . . . vestiges . . . the rituals of a ritual-less society.” quote by Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e56/tony-judt-1730_memory_lieux-de-memoire-exist-because-there-are_21586.jpg)
