The BBC rewrites World War II

by Peter Mac

Many years ago an Australian TV channel screened the detailed, 
compassionate and thought-provoking American series The Unknown War", 
which dealt with Soviet history before and during World War II.

However, after several episodes, and with no explanation, the series was 
suddenly cut. Weeks later, following widespread complaints, the channel 
management explained that they had not been happy with the show's ratings 
and had decided to axe it. Perhaps they thought no-one would notice!

The remaining episodes were eventually screened, but viewers were left with 
the distinct impression that the series had been stopped because it was 
casting light on matters which someone thought were better kept under 
wraps.

Not so the BBC's latest documentary series War of the Century" (ABC 
Thursdays 9.30pm), of which ultra-conservatives everywhere will surely 
approve.

The series, the first episode of which went to air last week, interprets 
most of the War as a titanic struggle between two equally evil empires 
(fascism and "Stalinism"), rather than what it soon came to be, i.e. a 
struggle between the fascist powers and an alliance of the other western 
powers and the Soviet Union.

To explain the course of the War the series draws a remarkably silly 
analogy between Stalin and the "double-dealing" central character of the 
opera "Boris Gudunov".

The opening title of the series includes a hammer and sickle symbol leaving 
a subtle impression that the Soviet Union bore at least the major 
responsibility for this "war of the century", (i.e. the Soviet theatre of 
World War II).

The first episode provides virtually no analysis of the developments which 
led to war between the Axis powers and the Allies.

It simply begins with a brief description of the fascist hatred of 
communism and then deals with the outbreak of hostilities between the 
Soviet Union and the fascist powers.

There is no mention of the assumption to power of Hitler's Nazi party 
which, bankrolled by the major German industries, crushed the trade unions, 
the communists and others who opposed them.

There is no mention of fascism's use of these people and the Jews, Poles, 
Russians and others as an expendable labor force from which maximum profits 
could be extracted while they were worked to death in hideous camps.

There is certainly no mention of the ambivalence of the leaders of the 
other Western powers, some of whom wanted to encourage the fascists to 
attack the Soviet Union, while others, like Churchill, saw the menace that 
fascism posed to their own shores.

There is no assessment of the unsuccessful Soviet pre-War attempts to forge 
an alliance with the bourgeois democracies against fascist Germany, nor of 
the attempted appeasement of the Nazis by Britain, France and others, nor 
of Germany's invasion of Poland, which finally forced a reluctant Britain 
and France to declare war on Germany.

Nor is there mention of the "phony war" that ensued, during which many 
Western powers were still convinced they should persuade the Nazis to 
attack the Soviets, which they thought would result in the elimination of 
both the fascist and socialist regimes.

Despite all these failings, the series has some positives. It contains 
fascinating footage and much new material. Yet even here it is marred by 
superficiality and misinterpretation.

Yes, Stalin rejected certain reports of imminent German attack. But the 
situation was rife with deliberately misleading information, and Stalin 
simply blundered, as did Roosevelt and Churchill in other respects.

Yes, the Soviet Government did attempt to find out the surrender terms 
which the Germans would accept in the event that they were victorious. But 
this is crucial information for any nation involved in war.

Yes, the Soviets were initially driven back hundreds of kilometres and lost 
vast numbers of men killed, wounded or captured. But they started with 
enormous disadvantages in munitions and supplies, and initially had a far 
smaller industrial base and poor military leadership.

Even so, the pace of the German advance was only half what they achieved in 
the western European countries. The advance ground to a halt in front of 
the big Soviet cities and was eventually reversed.

Does this not indicate that, among other factors, the industrial and 
organisational potential of socialism, and the motivation of the Soviet 
people, were superior to those of fascism? Why was this so?

And yes, before the War many of the best of the Soviet generals were 
unjustly convicted of crimes against the state and executed, thus depriving 
the nation of vital collective defence skills and contributing to the 
massive early casualties.

But was it not possible that those who benefited from this situation were 
instrumental in bringing it about?

"So many questions, so many particulars", as Bertold Brecht said. But if 
the first episode is anything to go by, it looks as though you won't find 
the answers to these particular questions in "The War of the Century"