New Poll on WW II's Legacy Shows Surprising Feelings and Findings

Eighty years after World War II ended, you might think opinions and feelings about the war and how it ended, and who ended it, would be pretty fixed in peoples' minds. Turns out, not so much. With the 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the end of World War 2 in Europe, new opinions on the old war are emerging.

In new polling released by YouGov, findings showed that whatever lessons Europeans and Americans took away from the conflict don't always line up as naturally as they used to. And even within the United States, the poll found decidedly mixed views on the war. One thing has not changed much is how Germany and Italy view their roles in the six-year war: The Axis powers still feel shame, not pride, about their country's actions.

"There is also a clear sense that European militaries are not prepared for a global conflict," YouGov said. "Only a minority of Western Europeans believe their national militaries could effectively defend their countries in the event of a third world war, ranging from a low of 16% in Italy to a high of 44% in France. By contrast, fully 71% of Americans have confidence that the armed forces could defend their country."

And in a telling sign of the state of global affairs, a large number of Americans and Europeans both think a third world war is likely—within the next 5 to 10 years! And that when war happens, it will involve nuclear weapons.

When poll respondents were asked which country they believed was most responsible for defeating Hitler's Nazi-led Germany, Americans, as well as people from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, all credited the US with defeating Germany. Only one peoples' country, Britain, said another country besides the US defeated Germany—and they said Britain.

What's interesting about that finding is how, at least in one critical phase of the war, it was the teamwork between Britain and the United States, that played a vital role in the war's outcome. It was a British shipbuilder, Robert Cyril Thompson, who designed a unique and massive cargo ship that ultimately came to be the Liberty ship design, which was built at US shipyards. Ultimately, 2,710 Liberty ships were built based on the British design, and the war would not have been won without them.

The Liberty ship SS John W. Brown launches to sea in Baltimore in 1942. Credit: Library of Congress