There is an old saying that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. I have watched The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance epic miniseries a few times already, but in today’s political climate feels less like a nostalgic trip into the past and more like a sobering mirror of the present. As we witness modern attempts to sanitize history or shift the blame for economic hardships onto specific groups, these films serve as a stark reminder: you cannot erase the truth of the past; you can only choose to ignore the lessons it left behind.
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The power of Herman Wouk’s narrative lies in its “slow boil.” It shows us that the horrors of the 1940s didn’t happen overnight. They began with words—with the strategic scapegoating of “the other” to explain away Germany’s economic state. It was a calculated effort to rewrite the narrative of who was “truly” German and who was an “enemy of the state.” Today, as we hear echoes of that same rhetoric—the targeting of specific groups through deportations and the fueling of hate to distract from complex economic issues—it feels eerily familiar.
The Industrialization of Hate
The Winds of War and War and Remembrance were groundbreaking because it forced viewers to look at the bureaucratic, cold-blooded reality of the Holocaust. It didn’t allow for the “false narratives” we see gaining traction today—those horrific claims that these crimes against Jews and political dissidents were exaggerated or never happened. By documenting the systemic dehumanization of people, the series stands as a visual witness against anyone trying to “edit” the atrocities out of our collective memory.
Education as a Shield
This is why I believe these important films should be required viewing in all schools, starting in early high school and continuing until graduation. I believe strongly visually seeing this miniseries has more impact seeing the harm and suffering on the screen will have a more lasting impression. The reason I say this is that before young people enter the world as voters and leaders, they need to see where a particular political philosophy such as “us versus them” politics leads. Discussion at the schools shouldn’t just be about dates and battles; it should be a serious, deep dive into the tactics of deception. If students can recognize the pattern of how a government encourages a false narrative, they are less likely to be swept up in it.
My Final Thoughts
We are currently living in a time where truth feels optional to some, but history is not a buffet where we can pick and choose the parts that make us feel good. These stories teach us that the cost of silence and the danger of “rewriting” the past is always paid in human lives. We owe it to the future to look at these events—not as a closed chapter, but as a map of the roads we must never travel again. History is only doomed to repeat itself if we cannot learn by it! Check this epic miniseries out because it is one that you shouldn’t miss.
