World War I: Memories of the Great War (a History Talk podcast)
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'History Talk,' hosts Patrick and Leticia, along with guest historians Brenda Miller, Tristan Haldeman, and Keisha Lye, explore the global impact and remembrance of World War I. They discuss the centennial commemorations in Sarajevo and Belgrade, the war's geopolitical consequences, and the contrasting local perspectives on historical figures like Gavrilo Princip. The episode also examines how World War I is remembered in Singapore, highlighting its colonial implications and contemporary relevance. This engaging podcast provides unique insights into one of the most significant events of the 20th century.
Takeaways
- 🎙️ The podcast 'History Talk' is produced by Origins Current Events, offering a historical perspective on various topics.
- 🌍 World War I is considered one of the most important events of the 20th century, significantly altering the global order.
- 🗓️ 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of World War I, with global commemorations and reflections on its impact.
- 📞 Historians joined the podcast to provide global perspectives on the remembrance of World War I, including those from Sarajevo, Belgrade, and Singapore.
- 🇷🇸 Brenda Miller discussed the impact of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and its role in changing geopolitical boundaries.
- 📰 Sarajevo hosted numerous events commemorating the assassination, reflecting both the tragedy and the liberation associated with the event.
- 🖼️ Tristan Haldeman highlighted cultural events in Belgrade that focused on Serbian talent and suffering during World War I, contrasting with Sarajevo's commemorations.
- 🇸🇬 Keisha Lye explored World War I memorials in Singapore, including the Cenotaph and St. Andrew's Cathedral, highlighting the complex colonial and religious histories.
- 🕊️ Commemorations in Sarajevo aimed to promote peace and a new era, addressing the region's history of conflict and ethnic divisions.
- 📚 Efforts in Serbia to digitize World War I documents and create databases aim to elevate the historical significance of World War I to the level of World War II.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the History Talk podcast episode discussed in the transcript?
-The main focus of the episode is the commemoration of World War I's 100th anniversary and its global impact.
Who are the hosts of the History Talk podcast mentioned in the transcript?
-The hosts mentioned are Patrick and Leticia Wiggins.
Why is World War I considered a significant event according to the podcast hosts?
-World War I is considered significant because it broke apart the old world order and set the stage for the rest of the 20th century, marking the century's first man-made global upheaval.
Who is Brenda Miller, and what is her role in the podcast episode?
-Brenda Miller is a graduate student of history at Ohio State University, specializing in European history and the socialist era in Yugoslavia. She provides insights into the commemoration of World War I in Sarajevo and Belgrade.
What were the main goals of Gavrilo Princip and the organization Young Bosnia, as discussed by Brenda Miller?
-The main goals were to liberate Bosnia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and unify it with other South Slavs in an independent state.
How does the commemoration of World War I differ in Sarajevo and Belgrade according to the historians interviewed?
-In Sarajevo, the commemoration is extensive with heavy EU and European organizational support, focusing on peace and a new era. In Belgrade, the commemoration is more subdued, with cultural and informative events rather than large-scale commemorations.
What were some of the cultural events mentioned in Belgrade for World War I commemoration?
-Cultural events in Belgrade included an exhibition of Serbian impressionist painters and an exhibition of Serbian literary production during World War I.
What are some of the contemporary issues Bosnia faces that are highlighted in the podcast?
-Bosnia faces political gridlock due to the Dayton Accords, issues with infrastructure, and high unemployment. There is a focus on moving forward and reconciliation.
How is the memory of World War I preserved in Singapore, according to Keisha Lye?
-In Singapore, the memory of World War I is preserved through sites like the Cenotaph and memorial tablets in Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and St. Andrew's Cathedral, commemorating British soldiers who died in the war.
What incident highlighted the disconnection of younger Singaporeans from the memory of World War I?
-An incident in 2013 where a 33-year-old man vandalized the Cenotaph, sparking discussions about the younger generation's disconnection from the significance of national monuments.
Outlines
🎙️ Introduction and Overview of World War I
Patrick and Leticia introduce the podcast 'History Talk' and discuss the significance of World War I. They note the war's global impact and its centenary commemoration in 2014. Three historians join via phone to offer perspectives on the war's remembrance globally.
🗣️ Discussing Franz Ferdinand's Assassination
Brenda Miller, a graduate student, talks from Belgrade about her research on the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. She explains how the assassination achieved its geopolitical goals and discusses the various ways it has been commemorated in Sarajevo.
🔍 Diverse Interpretations of Commemorations
The conversation explores the contrasting interpretations of Gavrilo Princip's actions and the broader commemorative events in Sarajevo. Brenda discusses how these events are influenced by the 1990s Balkan wars and the efforts to promote peace and a new era.
📜 Impact of World War I on Bosnia
The discussion shifts to the contemporary challenges in Bosnia, highlighting political gridlock caused by the Dayton Accords and the significance of focusing on reconciliation and reforms to ensure a successful future for Bosnia.
📚 Cultural Commemorations in Serbia
Tristan Haldeman shares his observations from Belgrade, noting the lack of formal commemorations but highlighting cultural events that focus on Serbia's experience during World War I. He reflects on the impact of World War II on historical memory and ongoing efforts to digitize World War I records.
🕊️ Significance of Remembering World War I
Tristan discusses the importance of marking the anniversary of World War I for Serbia, emphasizing the opportunity to reconnect with a shared national identity. He stresses the need to avoid letting recent events color the interpretation of the war.
🌍 World War I in Singapore
Keisha Lye talks from Singapore, describing the memorials commemorating British soldiers and the 1915 Sepoy mutiny. She explains the religious and colonial dimensions of these events and their implications for Singapore's historical memory.
📅 Current Memory of World War I in Singapore
Keisha reflects on the lack of public engagement with World War I memorials in Singapore, particularly among the younger generation. She notes a recent incident of vandalism at a memorial, which sparked some discussion but highlights a general disconnect from the war's significance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡World War One
💡Franz Ferdinand
💡Sarajevo
💡Gavrilo Princip
💡Belgrade
💡Commemoration
💡Bosnia and Herzegovina
💡Dayton Accords
💡Sepoy Mutiny
💡Cenotaph
Highlights
Introduction to the significance of World War One as the most important event of the 20th century.
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of World War One, emphasizing its lasting impact on global history.
Three historians join the podcast to discuss global perspectives on the commemoration of World War One.
Brennan Miller discusses the geopolitical success of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination in achieving its goals.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand led to the end of Austro-Hungarian rule and the formation of a unified South Slav state.
The 100th anniversary of World War One has received significant attention in Sarajevo, with multiple commemorative events.
Different perspectives on Gavrilo Princip's assassination of Franz Ferdinand highlight the contrasting views in the Balkans.
Sarajevo commemorations focus on promoting peace and a new era for the region.
Tristan Haldeman discusses the lesser publicized but culturally significant commemorations in Belgrade.
Belgrade's cultural events highlight Serbian talents and suffering during World War One.
Margaret Macmillan's interpretation of World War One as the 'war to end all peace' is discussed and contextualized.
Serbia's unique historical context of being at war prior to World War One is explored.
Efforts in Belgrade to digitize World War One documents aim to elevate its historical importance.
Tristan Haldeman notes Serbia's struggle with its historical narrative and identity in relation to World War One.
Keisha Lye discusses the significance of World War One memorials in Singapore and the impact of the 1915 Sepoy Mutiny.
The role of religion and colonial dynamics in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1915 is highlighted.
Current memory of World War One in Singapore is often overshadowed by European focus and disconnected from younger generations.
Vandalism of the Cenotaph in Singapore sparks discussions on the significance of national monuments.
Keisha Lye emphasizes the global nature of World War One and its impact on colonies, underlining the term 'world war.'
Efforts to digitize and commemorate World War One documents in Serbia highlight ongoing historical preservation work.
Transcripts
welcome to history talk a history podcast for everyone produced by origins current events
a historical perspective I'm one of your hosts Patrick hi Yonny many historians consider World
War one as the most important event of the 20th century the conflicts that broke apart the old
world order to set the stage for the rest of the century also known as the Great War this was the
20th century's first man-made global upheaval literally bigger and more disastrous than any
war before this is your other co-host Leticia Wiggins 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of
World War one beginning as Patrick noted the great Wars ramifications were felt throughout
the world and its impact on social and cultural memory extreme we dedicate this podcast to the
myriad of ways before is commemorated globally to explore this subject further we have three
historians joining us via phone to lend their global perspective on this Boers
remembrance well hear from truth spin Hilton and Brenda Miller as they weigh on Sarajevo
and Belgrade and teach a lie and she reports on the Left studied war memorials in Singapore so
stay tuned for unique perspectives on one of the most remembered Wars of the last century
okay I'm Brennan Miller and I'm a graduate student of history at the Ohio State University
I specialized in European history and specifically on the socialist era in Yugoslavia so where are
you calling us today from I'm calling today from Belgrade Serbia where I'm doing some research for
my dissertation but last week into the special trip to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina to
have a look at some of the commemorations for the hundred year anniversary of the assassination of
Franz Ferdinand in a recent article you call the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand one of
the most successful assassination attempts in history not only because the assassin was able
to kill his marks but because by the end of the war the geopolitical boundaries that he had been
trying to change had in fact change in large part because of his actions so can you tell us a little
bit more about the ways in which you see the assassination is successful and kind of what you
mean by that yeah so I used the term successful in a bit of a meditative way and I used it that way
for two reasons first in the very literal sense that the assassination achieved its geopolitical
goals right at the turn of the century Bosnia was under austro-hungarian occupation or annexation
but there were movements for national independence in the region and the ultimate goal of Princip and
the organization he was a part of a lot of Bosna or young Bosnia I was to liberate Bosnia from the
austro-hungarian Empire and to unify with other South Slavs in independent state and of course
there's debate about exactly what form or valence of power that unification was intended to take but
by the end of World War one that unification was exactly what happened austro-hungarian rule ended
and because our kingdom emerged and considering this kind of controversial Act to say the least
has the hundredth anniversary of World War one's beginning that you mentioned that you that you
visited some of the events in Sarajevo has it received much attention there how are the people
there commemorating the war what events have been going on the anniversary has definitely received
a tremendous amount of attention and that's not just here in the Balkans also in international
media and all this is has been in the works for months now even I have to say has kind of to the
point of fatigue bring it through months on end now but there's definitely been known shortage
of articles on the assassination right that have come out there the media and reporters
and documentaries all over the city and lots of tourists in town especially for the commemoration
but and for the events themselves I guess it's important to explain that there are essentially
two threads of commemorations generally there was one sort of spread that viewed the assassination
as sort of a terrible act that ushered in an era of war but there's another interpretation
of the Birla princess and the assassination that views it as sort of a victory for independence
and liberation but the main events took place in Sarajevo which is where I attended and multiple
organized with pretty heavy EU and European European organizational support and also
financial assistance and these were more oriented towards commemorating the assassination and and
sort of the generalized idea of war and a new era of peace and there were a lot of them hold
on these lines it's almost sort of like dizzying to sort of try to recount them on the Rue museum
exhibits and figure events and our failings right right and so where the tourists there were they
did you get a sense that a lot of them were there because of this kind of historical anniversary I
don't sometimes I think we think of tourism as as being based around history in fact I have through
an ongoing meditation on tourism sort of in the city and it seemed like a lot of the people that
were here had serve a specific interest in world war one kind of history book you know alongside
historians and things that kind of wanted to see how things were being commemorated and to sort of
be present in the place at the moment when the serve historic events occurred right right and
this is a really good transition I think into kind of the next question with Sarajevo being the site
of the you know the the main event the historians generally see as the spark that ignited World War
one so have the various commemorations taken on a special meaning in Sarajevo because of the role
the city played and I imagine there are sort of competing views here that you kind of have
started to touch on about the war and the city and how they should be seen the Tucker events
definitely speaks to log controversy around the interpretation of Gavrilo Princip and in
the article I kind of talked a little bit about the different phases that his memory has gone
through the commemorations this time around are really heavily influenced by I feel the war in the
1990s and some of the legacies of that there's are different local interpretations now a good little
princess that sort of speak to that moment of conflict one sort of thread of those and this is a
bit of a generalization but primarily Bosniaks and Croats here sort of view now the villa princess as
a symbol for Greater Syria ambition and serve aggression and conversely serves in the region
view him even more now as serve a defender of national interests and also a defender against
foreign intervention so a lot of the events really spoke to those sort of contrasting views of of
princess and because there was a lot of concern about that sort of controversy the very fact that
there would be competing events as then organizers really wanted to catch them this perception of
variable as being a place of conflict and so that's why so many of these main events really
seem to focus more on your piece and having a new era in the country's history there's a kind of
interesting contrast there right so the Balkans are often seen as this you know quote-unquote
tinderbox of Europe divided by ethnic rivalries and ethnic violence you know we have the word
vulcanized even right for this so in what ways are the people of Bosnia and Sarajevo you know
including those government officials maybe the veterans from the 1990s wars that you suggested
that you mentioned how are they struggling to change that image of the region as we move into
the 21st century or I think kind of flexing personally on the events themselves some of
these concert events and also theater performances that went on that focused solely on on piece from
a new era they were definitely paying attention to this idea of changing the perception of very
little in the international community and and I think in fact there was definitely a terms that
they were combating sort of - I guess a media that was kind of ready to seize on any signs of
conflict right me right it was more that's what we think of and so for the events themselves
focus on promoting peace and a new feature was definitely a part of an effort to present that
new image of variable and youth especially I have to say here seemed particularly involved
in a number of events that weren't necessarily about the assassination but were things like
peace conferences or performances that focused on international connections and building bridges and
things like that so it sounds like a lot of these events that you know you you visited were largely
successful would you say on the whole yes um it is very easy to be a bit cynical to look at you
know certain moments or instances that that were maybe a little bit heavy-handed that this Vienna
Philharmonic concert that was presented at the city hall that City Hall used to be the national
library and during the 1990s it was burned by the Serb army ceding the city and so the decision to
hold the concert there while it does suggest serve rebirth and a new cultural era also kind of could
be perceived as a criticism against Serbs and in fact there is a placard on the front of the
building that describes serve as specifically uses the word criminals who destroy the building in the
1990s I do have to say on the whole my sense of the events was that they were really relatively
moving and I'm a bit of an optimist but I I felt that they were relatively successful yes and it
also sounds like a very well attended people really paying attention to the history here I
have to say it was a really pretty crazy week you know running from one event to another event they
were sort of all over the city it always wasn't clear where things were going on sometimes so
it was it was a little bit hectic but I will say though that different focus on on the future and
sort of using the commemorations themselves as the prism through listed to begin moving forward
I think was pretty salient in terms of speaking to the contemporary general political situation
in Bosnia and I guess I would say that that in general Bosnia has really struggled since the
breakup of Yugoslavia with a number of issues in the country the Dayton Accords after the war
divided up power between ethnic groups in the country and institutionalized a lot of these
ethnic divisions and that has caused a lot of political gridlock that hasn't been able to deal
with some of obvious problems with infrastructure and especially with unemployment and I think that
this effort on focusing on moving forward and reconciliation is really important for Bosnia
right now especially because they're considering reforming the Dayton Accords and earlier this
year there were a number of protests that were against a lot of national divisions and so I
think that at this event that kind of focused on moving forward really speaks that need to actually
enact reforms that can make Bosnia successful in the future that's a really important example
I think of you connecting there the kind of long history of the region and present events
Thank You Brenda Miller for joining us today on history talk all right thank you very much
hello everyone Tristan Haldeman and I'm a PhD candidate in the Department of History here
at Ohio State you know I specifically focus on Eastern Europe and I'm writing my dissertation
on everyday life under the German occupation in Belgrade Serbia during World War two well welcome
to the show and tell us where you are calling from today and where you recently visited so
I'm calling you from Belgrade Serbia where I'm actually currently living while I'm doing my
dissertation research here in the city been great because it's been given me a great opportunity to
observe the city in depth and really get to know its character with this podcast we're focusing
on the hundredth anniversary of world war one has the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the
war received much attention in Belgrade and how are the people of Belgrade commemorating the war
what events have been going on it really kind of surprised me how little pageantry and formality
founded both the anniversary of Franz Ferdinand's assassination back in June and austria-hungary the
actual declaration of war against Serbia Angela there's been nothing in Belgrade anywhere near
approaching the scale of what went on in Sarajevo to commemorate the assassination but instead I've
gotten the opportunity to go to several columns cultural events and retrospective year and there's
been a greater number of kind of more informative events rather than events of a more commemorative
character I mean if there's a lot of debate going on in the public sphere among the general
public and newspapers what sorts of these kind of smaller multi-culture events have you had a chance
to go to as far as the cultural events go there were two really thing exhibits that I went to
that stood up to me for a couple of reasons one rivet of Serbian impressionist painters at the
National Museum and another was an exhibition of Serbian literary production which included books
journals sketches newsletters anything produced during the war warm on the front lines and so I
thought these two will really same because what they did they did a really good job highlighting
Serbian talents and Serbia struggle on suffering during the war because it really was devastating
Serbia lost at least 15% of its population and went through a pretty brutal occupation
under obstacles but that the same time if they highlighted Serbian talents it both did a really
nice job crew trading similarities and cultural exchange is what was going on in the rest of
us during Waldo and it's important to note the historian Margaret Macmillan has recently called
the lead-up to the beginning of World War one the quote war to end all peace do you agree with that
interpretation and do the people of Serbia see the origins of the war in such negative terms
today I mean they're it's yes or no something important to remember if Serbia is unlike most
of the rest of Europe one World War one broke out it had already been at war recently in 1912
and 1913 during the 1st and 2nd Baltimore first they were fighting against the Ottoman Empire and
then they fought against Bulgaria so the start of World War one was more like going back to
war rather than starting a whole new cycle of war there was an outdoor viewing of the use of
film called march on the Drina that i want to it was about the first time in Serbia defeated
austria-hungary on the battlefield during World War one and what it really drove home well was
that at least at the outset of the war soldiers and people there really stopping me what success
but they immutable who turned out to be really wrong because austria-hungary was a lot better
equipped for the war in the Balkans the Ottomans have been so it wasn't quite as peaceful here in
Western Europe but as far as ending pieces I think that mark macmillan bigger point is a really good
one you know that the war wasn't necessarily inevitable but rather it was a result of what
series of choices made by fallible people and I guess that logic that same logic applies to the
idea of world war one being a war to end all be and not for sure was the lead-up to the war even
the events of the war that made he's kind of an endangered species in the world but the country
that you know would eventually become you know Flavio was created in the aftermath of the war
but without a real plan consensus between the different nationalities and ethnicities which
I think most of us know led to problems later in World War two and beyond so I do think that
mr. BIA there's a tendency to look at the board the kind of inning of a period of struggle that
really only ended recently but also more positively georgians awards are a way to
really in trying to memory what service fee is truth Serbians Allison tells us there's
part of this commemoration to kind of celebrate Serbian identity then exactly and I think that's
important because you know the more I thought about why these events weren't necessarily such
a widespread public characters but it's really kind of because Serbia is still trying to define
how it regards concepts the outbreak of World War one Oh generally just service history and
a relationship Tribune position in Europe and the rest of the world today there was an event
to commemorate the actual declaration of war the opening of the archival exhibits by the archives
of Serbia in the Serbian Parliament building and at that event the speech of the Serbian Parliament
really emphasized you need to look to the future and the need to work in concert with Europe the
center is still trying to figure out exactly how it looks at the start of the war and horribly yeah
and so you already mentioned World War two in your previous answer and so I'm wondering how you know
in many cases World War one is often overshadowed in more recent memory by the Second World War and
is this the case for Serbia or is this something that maybe takes place more and some more like
the United States where the second world wars really dominates the memory of world wars will be
the case in Serbia as well I think that's pretty Universal in Europe and the United States yes it
is because you know one port to in Yugoslavia was such a violent devices with that epidural tour of
the country apart so the divisions between people that it exacerbated must a really shadow on all
the successes see I understand why so much effort and scholarship you know including my own project
as the focus World War two over World War one one of the most interesting things about the advances
efforts around in the commemoration of World War one this year that a real effort being made to
bring the availability of information about World War one up to the standard of World War two one
good example is at the historical archives of Belgrade where there is an effort to digitize
at least 20 percent of the documents pertaining to World War one and also develop a database of
prisoners who were interned at austro-hungarian camps during World War one and this would be a
resource comparable to ones that have already been created and now exist for the concentration camps
as well great during World War two so there's kind of a push to bring them up to equal levels of
importance but I don't think it's right there yes yeah that's a really a great way of making history
accessible to the public and it's sort of a final last word here why in your opinion is important
to mark the anniversary of World War one well I think particularly in the case of Serbia World
War one was the last time for the 1996 Serbia actually the citizens of the whole country I
think there's a really positive sample especially if we kind of avoid letting the interpretation of
what will one be colored by more recent events I think Serbia has a great opportunity to look back
and identify so in character in its own history so looking at all these cultural memories and
all this documentation about the war it's a great opportunity to kind of rebuild that identity now
that Serbia is and it will be hit for foreseeable future it's on cards on behalf of history talk
I'd like to thank you Kirsten for joining us today thank you back to have a great day
hi my name is Keisha lye and I am from Singapore I just completed my second year of graduate school
in the history department at The Ohio State University and I am back in Singapore for
the summer to conduct research and that's me where exactly are you calling from today
and where have you recently visited Keisha so I am calling from Singapore okay so in Singapore
there are three sites that commemorate World War one and I've visited two events on my trip
here the first site that I visited is called the Cenotaph and it's basically a war memorial
that commemorates the sacrifice of British soldiers who died in World War one and World
War two and the second site that I visited has a little bit more complicated background so on
February 15 1915 in the midst of World War one a troop of Muslim Indian soldiers K caught the
fifth light infantry this defiant adventure Eva stationed in Singapore by the British they rose
up and mutiny against the British authorities and they killed about 40 British officers stationed in
the barracks in this place called hungry and they also kill other European civilians that they they
met along the way this mutiny lasted for about 10 days before it was suppressed in the end about 36
mutineers were executed and over 70 of them was sent back to India and so in the aftermath of
this whole mutiny the comrades and associates of the deceased British soldiers and civilians
may memory tablets to be hung in two different places at the building that is now called the
Victoria theatre and concert hall and other place is in this church called st. Andrew's Cathedral
st. Andrew's Cathedral is an Anglican Church it is one of the oldest in Singapore it was three in the
1850s and it is currently the largest Cathedral in Singapore so I think this is why they saw that
it would be an appropriate place to commemorate those who died there when I was in Singapore I
was able to visit st. Andrew's Cathedral and the Cenotaph thinking of especially your mention of
st. Andrew's Cathedral with the tablets it seems there's also a religious component to this memory
and would you care as I expand on this a little bit yeah this light infantry this is troupe of
Indian soldiers consisted of Muslim Indians who were stationed in Singapore since 1914 when they
started coming here they had this troop leader that there was British and he was really unpopular
with soldiers there was poor communication and very low morale among the soldiers and then the
soldiers were rest at this cafe and this cafe owner will also stop and her British sentiments
and tell them that it is their religious duty as Muslims to overthrow the British from 1914
and 1915 this anti-british sentiment just simmer on the surface but nothing happens until February
1915 when they were supposed to be shipped to Hong Kong to to be stationed there however rumors broke
out that they were going to be sent to Europe to fight against the Turks instead when World War one
broke out the Turks sided with the Germans against the British okay and the Sultan of Turkey at this
time was regarded the leader of the Muslim world these Indian soldiers here it would be sent to
Europe under the British to fight against their fellow Turkish Muslims and the Germans because
they were fearful of this on February 15 they knew to me they went to the barracks to obtain
ammunition and that's when chaos erupted for about and Easter the British military had to call for
help from outside and interestingly okay on the Sultan of Jalal became an ally to the British jaha
is a state in present-day Malaysia neighbouring country from Singapore and is really just divided
from Singapore by very narrow body of water the Sultan is also a Muslim he sent his troops to
run out any mutineers who cross the streets into Johor and so I just thought when I you
know through my research about this Sepoy mutiny of 1915 and looking at the memorial it just raised
a lot of questions to me about the Vigilant wall what about the second religion in the colonies
and decolonization you know how about the impact of religion on individuals you know for example
like these Muslim Indians who thought it was a religious duty to revolt and yet the Muslim Sultan
of jihad proved an ally to the British it seems that this history of World War one in Singapore
you mentioned is tied really closely with that of European colonization and do you think it displays
into this current memory of the Great War as well frankly I think current memory of the Great War
is still very much focused on what took place in Europe I think it's very important to highlight
and understand the ramifications in a colony like a very basic reason for this is because looking at
the colonies and the impact of World War one on the colonies underscores this our description of
the Great War as a world war you know it doesn't just show I what to place in the European theatre
but it also shows the ripple effects in the colonies and that it was devastating to two
people there you know and there were British were just born in the colonies who lost their lives in
the war as well I think it also connects a lot to discussions and debates of decolonization
even though we don't really immediately directly connected to World War one for example like the
Sepoy mutiny I know there's one historian who stated that this mutiny had a large impact on
India's agitation for independence from the British later on a few decades later although
another historian has also disputed it and said no this mutiny really didn't have any large impact as
historians do and so I I think you know looking at the colonies bring some one another looking at the
colonies and how will World War One affected it you know brings out more discussions and debates
and sheds light on a history that we don't really think about you know as I said earlier it really
highlights the role of religion and other factors in the wall I think it raises questions about
identity in the colonies as well you know like how the Cenotaph was directed for British men born in
Singapore but sent back as British citizens to fight for donations motherland' which they
might or might not have visited prior to the war you know when one thinks of World War one you're
right and like normally Singapore doesn't usually come to mind I want to say I was like sense right
so you're bringing us a really unique perspective today and just to kind of wrap up and say thank
you for reminding us that this is a world where we're talking about I was wondering how is the
memory of the war alive in Singapore today from your from what you've observed I think
the really sad thing is that when I went to visit the memorials there weren't a lot of people there
and I think it becomes World War one is just very disconnected from the memory of Singaporeans today
especially for the younger generation I think they read about the war in the textbooks and
unit it really doesn't affect them directly and it just really really said that it's not really
in their memories so last year in 2013 someone actually vandalized the Cenotaph he spray-painted
this big X over the years 1914 to 1918 and then he wrote democracy in bull letters above and the
copy off was eventually caught and he turned out to be a 33 year old man and the leading newspapers
in Singapore said that this as an example of how younger generation of Singaporeans are
disconnected from the significance you know of these national monuments like we have no stands
or respect memory of the significance of of the Cenotaph the memory of war is just not very likely
Singapore today I will say though that incident with vandalism it did spark some discussions
among the younger generation I think it did make them like wake up and think about it and also
some good came out of it you know a lot of issues Kiesha thank you so much for joining us today and
enlightening us us to this history in Singapore we really appreciate your time thanks Carol thank
you for giving me this chance this edition of the origins podcast history class is brought to you
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