Representation of War in German Youth Memes: Using Reddit in Memory Studies

The article examines the collective interpretation of historical events and phenomena relating to the wars waged by the Germany from 1870 to 1945 among the members of German-speaking meme communities on Reddit. It also seeks to use representative capabilities of the platform to specify and clarify in relation to young people the approaches existing in German society to the interpretation of Germany‘s role in these events in the context of contemporary shifts in Berlin‘s security policy. By analysing the most popular publications and commentaries, the authors conclude that the “traumatic” dimension of “military” history, in general, is not an obstacle to its ironic representation. With the idealisation of Otto von Bismarck's image, the perception of the Franco-Prussian War differs markedly from the interpretation of the two world wars. At the same time, the policy of the Allies both on the eve of and during the Second World War is viewed differently: the role of Western states is assessed purely positively, whereas a consolidated negative position of users is noticeable in the assessments of the actions of Soviet diplomats and military officers. The authors suggest that the dominant assessments among members of the community — which in many cases differ markedly from Berlin's official position today — favour the revision of the outcomes of World War II and may find manifestation in German foreign policy in the future.