Paper short abstract:

Article argues that memories of the WWII remain key element for both European collective identity and Belarusian national identity, and therefore deals with the analysis of the evolution of these memories into identity formation.

Paper long abstract:

WWII is one of the main turning points of the 20th century's history. However, it is interpreted in different ways in different countries. The EU focuses on maintaining ever closer union, thus it treats the WWII as a dramatic event focusing on the totalitarian nature of Nazism and consequent extermination of the European Jews during the Holocaust. Hence the negative experiences of the European nations are emphasised and the EU is seen as a guarantor not to repeat this tragedy. Therefore, the collective memories of the WWII are being used to maintain a sort of common European identity.

Belarus is a different case. During the post-war Soviet time official historiography depicted Belarus as partisan republic which the first faced the most severe attack of the enemy. Having suffered considerable demographic, material and territorial losses during the WWII, Belarus did not manage to recover "nationalistically". After the proclamation of independence, and particularly from the 1994 on (when president Lukašenka was elected) rhetoric of the WWII is actively used as a core of the Belarusian state ideology, and as a consolidating factor uniting younger and older generations and thus being a milestone for Belarusian national identity.

Arguing that memories of the WWII remain key element for both European collective identity and Belarusian national identity, the article deals with the analysis of the evolution of these memories into identity formation.