Trafalgar and Waterloo: metamorphoses of French historical memory
Zemtzov Vladimir, Postnikova Alyona
he article attempts, on the basis of an extensive documentary base including historical works, periodical printing, memoiristics and diplomatic correspondence, to trace the evolution of French perception of two lost battles with Britain - Trafalgar and Waterloo - in the historical memory of the nation. Various ways of "healing" historical trauma are revealed, factors affecting the activation of memory of the national tragedy are revealed. The authors conclude that despite examples of "memorial compromises," most often due to changes in the pan-European situation, there is no complete "memory reformatting." The temporary harmonization of relations with the "historical enemy" has almost always been replaced by an outbreak of "hostile memory" as the global situation changes or tensions with Britain increase.
The study is sponsored by the Russian Science Foundation, grant 20-18-00113.