There has never been a bigger historical event that affected the lives of millions and caused larger numbers of casualties and destruction than World War II. It is estimated that between 73 and 85 million people perished during the course of this conflict that started in 1939 and ended in 1945, making it the undisputed single most destructive and deadliest conflict in history. Most of the casualties were civilians, with the lowest estimated civilian casualties reaching 43 million in the allied countries and over four million in the Axis ones. The devastation of the war resulted mainly from the introduction of newer and more lethal weapons that were used almost indiscriminately by the belligerents against both military and civilian targets. Entire villages, towns and cities were wiped from the face of the earth or became uninhabitable after they were either razed as a result of constant bombardment or the death or forced migration of their inhabitants. On 8 May this year, the world celebrated the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe or Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). The day marks the end of the war in the European continent after Germany's representative Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces two days earlier. This meant the ending of all military activities in Europe with the decisive victory of the allies led by the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom and the Republic of China. The war was to continue for several more months in Asia before the Japanese Empire officially surrendered on 2 September 1945. The end of the war in Europe where it originally ignited in September 1939 was effectively the last nail in the coffin for the modern world's longest nightmare. The war left unspeakable numbers of human casualties and unmatched destruction that still has impacts today even 75 years later. But the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe this year were muffled and unbefitting of the magnitude of such a great occasion. The obvious reason for these silent celebrations was of course the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic across the planet over the past four months. Most countries, especially the capitals of the World War II allies, were under lockdown, or at least partially so, rendering any celebrations a public health risk. The fact remains that despite the significance of the occasion, the notion of celebrating with an ongoing daily death count in every country resulting from the Covid-19 virus was an undesirable idea and even an impractical one. The situation is a far cry from the celebrations that followed the announcement of the end of the war in Europe in 1945, when people managed to celebrate in the streets for days on end as they expressed their happiness at the ending of the war and their remaining alive to witness it. Ironically, the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe coincides with the highest death toll on the continent in such a short period since World War II itself, meaning that celebrations to mark the end of the war have called for restraint. Another unfortunate coincidence has been that the bulk of the deaths resulting from the coronavirus have been in countries that were main belligerents of the war such as the US, UK, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, China and Japan. Statements from the heads of state of these countries and limited military parades celebrating the great occasion took place across many of the allied nations. The common message was one of remembering and honouring the great sacrifices of the war's heroes, while stressing the need to learn from them and to show solidarity today in the face of the present global crisis. This new crisis has brought a plethora of other challenges with it, including the worst global economic crisis in over a century, coupled by the unprecedented health and scientific challenge of overcoming the spread of the virus. The muffled celebrations were particularly strange in Germany, whose dictator Adolf Hitler had ordered the invasion of Poland in September 1939 marking the ignition of the world's most gruesome war. The German government announced a public holiday to commemorate the end of the war many years ago, but many Germans treated 8 May with mixed feelings. However, since the 1980s more Germans have treated the day as a day of liberation from Nazi rule and not as a day of defeat. Germany was transformed completely after World War II, and while it was to be divided into an Eastern and a Western part for 45 years, the Germany that arose after the war made a great impact on Europe and the rest of the globe without having to fire a single bullet. The economic miracle of the former West Germany and later of the reunified Germany has been a benchmark for other nations to follow. Unlike the older Germany, the new Germany has been a pinnacle of scientific, cultural and economic progress for the rest of the world. Seventy-five years from the end of the war in Europe, the continent has managed to attain peace and inspiring economic growth as well as progress in all aspects of life. Europe today is a force to be reckoned with politically, economically and militarily. But there are major challenges facing the European continent in maintaining the unity achieved through the European Union after the coronavirus crisis ends. It is no secret that the response of the European Union and almost all of its major countries has been sub-optimal in halting the spread of the virus, with the exception of a few such as Greece. Flaunting the impeccable level of healthcare that the European countries have bragged about for decades cannot be the case any longer after the horrific death tolls that the European countries have been struck with compared to countries with much more basic healthcare facilities. Moreover, if the European Union is to survive the consequences of this ordeal and remain intact after the crisis, a complete revision of its budgetary priorities must be in order. The EU has agreed upon a 500 billion Euro stimulus plan to revitalise paralysed economies, and though this may sound like a large amount it is unlikely to be enough to get the EU's already battered economy back on track. The same can be said of the $3 trillion stimulus package, called the Heroes Act, in the US that is aimed to shore up the American economy at a time when 36 million Americans are unemployed and businesses are shutting down at record rates. The anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, or VE Day, may be a great event that is worth celebrating every year, but given the circumstances that have hit the world today there is not much to celebrate at the moment until world leaders figure out a way to release their countries from this unprecedented global catastrophe whose like has not been seen since World War II. The light at the end of the tunnel remains the fact that unlike during World War II the world is now fighting a common, invisible enemy in the new coronavirus, and countries are not fighting each other as they were over political, military or economic gains 75 years ago. That fact alone should inspire hope in an otherwise bleak situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The writer is a political analyst and author of Egypt's Arab Spring and the Winding Road to Democracy.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 21 May, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
