So far, my trip to Europe with the World War II study abroad group has been amazing. These five days have been packed with exposure to culture, several museums, days of sightseeing, strange food, many tube rides, and already some great friends. There have been many highlights thus far. I thoroughly enjoyed walking and exploring the sights of London like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. It was unreal to see these iconic sights firsthand and the beauty in them was something that you do not see as often in America. After watching the film The Imitation Game on the plane ride here, Bletchley Park peaked my interest. I enjoyed seeing where Alan Turing broke the enigma code and thousands of other code breakers worked tirelessly to uncover information that impacted the outcome of World War Two in such large way.
On Tuesday we visited the Imperial War Museum. I felt this museum was brilliantly set up. The way in which they displayed different aspects of each war highlighted for the visitors what England’s role was and how much of an impact each had on the country as a whole. The World War I exhibit was unlike any I have seen before. The attention to detail and comprehensiveness helped those like me who are not as familiar with WWI, understand how grand it was and the major impact it made on an entire generation of Englishmen. In the World War II exhibit, I really enjoyed looking at all the different propaganda posters used to rally troops and those at home to aid in the war effort. I found, however, that these messages were conflicting for women of the time. In some posters, you saw a beautiful woman, adorned in diamonds with a drink in her hand, and encouraged not to talk about the war for fear of enemy spies. Yet, in another poster, women were encouraged to make do and mend their clothing, not to dress in excess, and go to work in the factories. When reading these, I found myself wondering what message I would have listened to in this time. Would I have made do and gone to work or would I have continued an exuberant lifestyle, going out to clubs and wearing the latest fashions. For me though, the highlight of this museum was the Holocaust exhibit. I found the British take on this horrid time in history was very interesting. This museum gave the visitors a more technical analysis of the holocaust. It focused on the machine behind the power, how Hitler’s ideals and anti-Semitism grew, and how these systematic killings were carried out. I look forward to the Shoah memorial museum in Paris to see if the French depict the Holocaust in a similar manor. Overall, my experience in London was one Ill never forget and I am excited to see what the rest of the trip has in store.