The failure of democracy before World War II, one of the main lessons German students are still given at school, takes prominence at an exhibition on the past 100 years of European history.
“The cruelty of war, the destruction of whole cities and the persecution of Jews were important lessons for Europe,” Stephan Hiller-Larhzali, from the German Embassy, said ahead of the exhibition’s launch at the Maltese-German Circle in Valletta.
Behind him, 26 placards tell the story of Europe through major events in the past 100 years that were caught in 190 photographs.
“The message we are trying to convey is that, in comparison with what we went through, what we have right now is a great achievement,” he said. “Today’s challenges are minor in comparison: 75 years ago our people fought each other on the battlefield. Today, they are discussing joint budget policies.”
Called Dictatorship and Democracy in the Age of Extremes: Spotlight on the History of Europe in the Twentieth Century, the exhibition is marking 100 years from the outbreak of World War I. It also marks 75 years from the German unleashing of World War II, 25 years from the end of the Cold War that was declared at Marsaxlokk Bay and 10 years from the EU’s westward enlargement including Malta’s accession.
It shines a spotlight on major events in a bid to show there is no alternative to a united and socially-responsible Europe.
The last of the 26 placards notes that all current problems, when measured against the low-points of the past 100 years, can and must be solved.
It speaks of the nine million soldiers and six million civilians who perished in the first war. No war in Europe had ever before claimed so many civilian lives.
When the war was over and peace treaties were signed, the European map changed.
Poland finally achieved its independence and Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia were recognised as new states. Hungary lost a third of its territory and Germany had to cede almost one fifth of its land.
The display delves into economic changes too, referring in particular to the stock market crash, termed Black Thursday, which took place in New York in 1929.
Revolutionary upheavals, the rising of national socialists to power and the second war, which claimed 45 million lives, mark only the first quarter of the century.
The eventful 25 years preceded the Cold War and the dreadful time when the world was on the brink of an atomic war.
The exhibition, being displayed in several countries, ends with present-day challenges, including Euroscepticism and the arrival of refugees from North Africa.
Organised by the Embassy of Germany and the German-Maltese Circle, the exhibition is being held at Messina Palace, St Christopher Street, Valletta, and runs until the end of January.