Why much more interest in WW2 than WW1

Why do you all there is so much more interest in WW2, than in WW1?
There was American involvement in both, and new technologies in both.

 

Well to me it seems like WWII has a lot more depth. First of all the US was far more involved in WWII than WWI. Also, yea there were tanks and planes in WWI, there were just so many more in WWII and ones that could actually do some damage and were "cool". Furthermore, in terms of Battles and operations WWII has two theaters of operations, each having multiple fronts. WWI they just like sat there in the trenches gaining like a few yards at a time (I have a really really limited knowledge of WWI so if that is incorrect please dont hold it against me!) There is also the impact that WWII had on the world. 60 million people dead (around that? i think idk the numbers exactly), the military developments (jet aircraft, etc.) the cold war and such. Even some National socialist ideas exist today with neonazis etc. Sure WWI is important (please just dont say that WWI is the most important battle of WWII!!)

But anyway idk...thats my two cents

 

I think as time passes WW 2 will fade in popularity too. WW 1 has largely faded for exactly that reason. As a war it is as interesting in its way as WW 2 was. Only in the West and in particular, France did the war become one of trench warfare and stalemate. Yes there were other stalemates of small matter like Galipoli but on the whole the war did have movement.
There was some action in Africa and in the Pacific. The naval war was interesting if not on the massive scale of the Pacific War.
Aerial warfare exhibited all the aspects we know in WW 2.

It is interesting to note that the largest tank battle of the war was Soissions / 2nd Marne not Cambari and, French not English.
Strategic bombardment took place by many combatants using aircraft.
Gas as a weapon was overrated.... very overrated.

But, as I said, over time WW 1 has faded from the public memory just as its veterans have to a great degree now that virtually all are lying in cemetaries.

 

Only if there is a third world war and we all live to talk about it.

 

WWII was documented better because of better quality still film as well as audio and video. Also had more press coverage and was truly a world war.

 

I first become interested in WW2 due to film , documentaries, and an illustrated book about US infantryman's weapons and equipment. I was just an elementary schooler at the time. It was just a mild interest, though. By my late teens, I started discovering WW2 literature and certain aspects just reeled me in.

 

It is the most recent great war. Until the next one it will remain the most popular, however, most of these kids today are so uninformed few know who even participated in it. I have mentioned in other threads that children of school teachers don't know a thing about it. They think I am some kind of expert. Let someone like Wolfy or one of the other far better posters get a hold of them and they would freak out. I am average at best as far as WW2 knowledge is concerned.

 

I can defintainly vouch for that. I have unfortunatly found that almost everyone I ask knows almost nothing about WWII. And Irusso you bring up a good point, not that many people actually do study WWII. I mean yes it surly attracts more people than WWI but it is still not that great a percentage of the population and most of those people probably just study it because it is the most recent one.

 

Do you really think WW2 will fade in popularity, whats going to take its place ? WW2 has to much going for it, for it just to "fade". Think of all the biographies that have been written. Some of you guys are pessimistic. More people would be more interested in WW2 nowadays than 30 years ago, I believe and as time goes on that will increase. To the member who mentioned the GrandPa connection to WW2 is afraid incorrect in my opinion because neither of my Grandparents fought in any major conflicts yet im interested.

I dont mean to point out the obvious but have you ever noticed the people who are interested in battles that have taken place 1000 plus years ago.



As the Holocaust survivors die, the Holocausts importance will begin to fade. That is one chapter of WWII that will suffer as the generations pass.

 

Jadtiger1-What's this! America made ww2 more famous?
WW2 is famous cause ww2 was not surpose to happend! WW1 was surpose to stop all wars but it never happend.
Also ww2 is famous cause it was the very last time,that things would ever stay the same for any country! WW2 represents what we can learn from.

T.A- I can't see ww2 ever fading,even if all the ww2 vets are sadly gone.
There is so many books and docummentaries that have been made for this sad event.
Do you really think ww2 is going to fade really?

 

Heidi, sorry if I was misleading. I didn't mean that the US made WWII famous I was simply replying to DogFather's comment that the US was in both WWI and WWII (I assume he was saying this as an American and was wondering why Americnas like WWII more). I was simply saying that this was probably because the US had a greater involvement in WWII.

 

I think that WWII will continue to make its appearances in the news as different "secrets" and formerly restricted information becomes available - as long as there are people interested enough to do the research and to write about it. We've been fortunate on the Forum to have memories shared with us by actual Veterans, and they've not tried to gloss over the horrors.

I think that is something which WWII has over WWI - that the Veterans told their stories - some with more starkness than others. In the past, generation after generation told of the the glory of war because to suggest anything else was to imply a lack of bravery; whereas, we know now that tales of glory lead to much suffering and shock on the part of those who quested for adventure and glory when they met reality. Veterans of WWII also lived longer so that they reached an age when they would tell about their experiences. The records that have been made will keep at least a percentage of the population interested.

I also agree that there is a greater number who are descendants of WWII combatants and those who were otherwise affected by the war. Personally, I was always interested but didn't become as focused until after my Dad's death - when I realized that I had missed the opportunity to know more about the experiences that shaped the man he was. Just as his death had me interested in doing genealogy - but I find myself always heading back to his and my mother's WWII experiences.

Another reason WWII over WWI is the tangible artifacts which we can see and possibly touch. The various government's knew they were involved in a turning point in history and had historians and archivists collecting and recording information. The quantity of material means that it will - at least for the next few decades - still be a visible and recognizable point of history to be taught in school - even if without real depth.

My other thought on WWII versus WWI is that WWII was seen to have an end date, a victory that can be defined as the destruction of Nazi Germany (VE-Day) and the destruction of Japanese military might (VJ-Day); whereas, WWI tends to be viewed as not having been a complete destruction of the enemy and as a factor in the attitudes which arose within Germany and the pacifist attitudes without where countries tried to sidestep new confrontations.

 

What do you know about the Punic Wars? The 100 years war? The Napoleanic Wars? How about the American Civil War? The Macedonian conquests? The Mongol conquests, probably the most successful land campaign ever waged? Most people have only the vaguest notion today of what occured in the 1st World War outside of possible "trench warfare."

 

JTI- I believe i mis-understood you,i now understand you.

That's true T.A,i have no idea about those wars,well i have heard about them but don't no nothing.
Those wars were not documented like ww2,this to me thinks ww2 will never fade.
But in saying this,if ww2 was had least documented and no news reels and no photograghing,and no newspaper reports,i do think ww2 would be just another war.

 

You actually make a very good point. I have almost no knowledge of any of those wars except they existed and mabye the random pieces of knowledge I remember from History class. And I am sure that back in those time periods there were tons of people would enjoyed studying them. But I thinkt the point that Heidi is trying to make is that none of those wars happened during the era of modern technology. None of those wars have millions of real pictures or thousands of documentaries catching the emotion of veterans. People might be turned off from studying those wars now because all they can view are some paintings and mabye some written accounts of veterans. I am not saying that the study of WWII will not fade but it seems to me that WWII is different than the wars you just mentioned.

 

I agree with the sentiment that interest in WW2 will fade away 50, 100 years from now. In fact, it already has (compared to previous generations).

There will be new conflicts and new technologies. I don't think later generations will grow up with so many WW2 movies or WW2 grandfathers- For instance, my generation has little to virtually no interest in WW2 at all.

(besides the video games, hah)

 

Its just like any other war. When my dad was a kid the big thing was the american civil war. The kids loved all that stuff. My dad has a pretty good size collection and he still loves the civil war with a passion. Personally I know a lot about the civil war but it just doesnt hold that much of an interest with me. As the vets died off from the civil war the interest began to die out. It has a huge impact on you and spurs an interest when talking to a vet. When you are talking to someone that was actually there it is much more interesting.

WWI vets are almost totally gone. The interest has already began to die down on WWI and you dont see too many impressions. Here in NZ WWI is very popular and still talked about and reenacted because the Kiwis played a big part in the outcome of the war. The Kiwis here are very very proud of their history and want to help the memory and stories live on.

WWII vets will soon die out and the interest will slowly dwindle away. I dont think that it will ever die out completely. WWII impacted the world greatly just like most wars do. The war was the last "just" war... despite certain views about politicians during the war I still firmly believe that it was the last war fought on the base of morality and justice. To me that is why it will live on. The generation of people that lived during that time were indeed the greatest generation. They took great pride in what they were doing. They knew what they were fighting for and why. Back then
"loose lips sank ships" but today everything going on over in the middle east is broadcasted hourly. How are you to fight a war when the enemy can flip on CNN and see what the U.S.'s plans our for the afternoon.

Thats just my .02 on why WWII is remembered more than WWI currently