Unmasking the Imperial Shadows of World War II and Unveiling the Overlooked Contributions and Realities
Victory in Europe (VE) Day, celebrated annually on May 8th, marks the Allied triumph over Nazi Germany in 1945, a moment etched in history as a turning point for freedom and democracy. Yet, beneath the triumphant parades and heroic narratives lies a darker, often obscured reality—a reality steeped in the systemic racism, colonial oppression, and imperial agendas of the Allied powers. The iconic images of the Liberation of Paris, with French soldiers marching through the streets, are not just a testament to victory but also a carefully curated fiction that erased the contributions of Black and colonial soldiers. This article uncovers the shameful manipulation of history and the enduring evils of empire that VE Day has come to obscure.
The Erasure of Black Soldiers in the Liberation of Paris
One of the most egregious distortions of World War II’s legacy is the deliberate exclusion of Black soldiers from the narrative of the Liberation of Paris in August 1944. Despite comprising a staggering 59% of the French army, Black soldiers, many hailing from France’s African colonies, were forbidden from participating in the liberation’s public displays. This was not a French decision but one imposed by the United States and the United Kingdom, two empires obsessed with controlling the global image of the war. The presence of Black soldiers liberating a European capital was deemed too threatening to the racial hierarchies that both nations upheld.
The U.S., still entrenched in Jim Crow segregation, and the UK, presiding over a vast colonial empire, feared that showcasing Black valor would challenge their narratives of white supremacy and imperial dominance. By sidelining these soldiers, they ensured that the iconic images of victory remained predominantly white, reinforcing a myth of Western heroism that excluded the very people who made it possible.
The Backbone of the Allied War Machine
The contributions of Black and colonial soldiers were not just significant—they were indispensable. In the British army, 52.5% of troops came from colonies across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, bringing critical manpower to the war effort. In the U.S., of the 16 million-strong armed forces, 1.8 million were Black and brown, with Black soldiers alone making up 75% of the supply chain. These men ensured that armies marched, ate, and were armed—yet their labor was systematically devalued and erased from the narrative of victory. This erasure was not an accident but a calculated act of whitewashing, designed to uphold the racial and imperial order. The Allied powers, while fighting against Nazi tyranny, were simultaneously perpetuating their systems of oppression, both at home and in their colonies.
The Hypocrisy of Empire: Atrocities in the Shadow of Victory
While VE Day is celebrated as a moment of liberation, it coincided with acts of unimaginable brutality by the very powers hailed as heroes. On May 8, 1945, as Europe rejoiced, French forces in Algeria carried out the Sétif and Guelma massacres, slaughtering up to 45,000 people in response to pro-independence demonstrations. This was not an isolated incident but a precursor to the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962), which claimed 1.5 million lives in France’s desperate bid to cling to its empire.
The British Empire was also complicit in horrors rivaling those of its adversaries. During the war, the Bengal famine of 1943, exacerbated by British policies, starved 3 million Bengalis to death—a tragedy born of colonial neglect and exploitation. The Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya and the partition of India, which led to millions of deaths and displacements, further exposed the British Empire’s ruthless legacy. Meanwhile, the U.S.’s post-war adventurism in Vietnam and Cambodia would leave 4.4 million dead, a testament to the enduring cost of imperial ambition. These atrocities reveal a chilling truth: the Second World War was not a noble crusade for freedom but a clash of empires, each vying for territorial and ideological dominance. The Allied powers, while opposing Nazi Germany, were themselves architects of oppression, their heroism tainted by racism, colonialism, and mass violence.
The Myth of Western Infallibility
The propaganda of World War II crafted a narrative of Western moral superiority that continues to shape global perceptions today. This myth, rooted in the erasure of Black and colonial contributions and the whitewashing of imperial crimes, has created a world built on falsehoods. It portrays the West as an infallible force for good, obscuring the systemic racism of Jim Crow, which persisted in the U.S. until the 1960s, and the colonial violence that continued to ravage the Global South. This distorted history is not just a relic of the past; it is a foundation of the world “collapsing on top of us right now.” The myth of Western goodness has justified decades of intervention, exploitation, and inequality, perpetuating a global order that privileges the powerful and marginalizes the oppressed.
A Call to Remember and Challenge
VE Day is a moment to honor the sacrifices of all who fought against fascism, but it must also be a moment of reckoning. The heroism of Black and colonial soldiers, erased from the history books, demands recognition. The atrocities committed by the Allied empires—Sétif, Bengal, and beyond—demand accountability. And the myth of Western infallibility demands relentless challenge. The true evil of VE Day lies not in the courage of individual soldiers but in the imperial powers that manipulated their sacrifices to uphold systems of racism and domination. By remembering the hidden truths of World War II, we can begin to dismantle the propaganda that has shaped our world and work toward a future that honors all who fought, not just those deemed worthy by the empire.
Sources: Historical data on troop demographics and colonial contributions drawn from widely documented accounts of World War II. Specific figures, such as the 59% Black composition of the French army and the 75% Black representation in the U.S. military supply chain, reflect estimates from contemporary scholarship. Details of the Sétif and Guelma massacres, the Bengal famine, and other colonial atrocities are corroborated by historical records and declassified documents.