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The Netherlands pauses to reflect on the Second World War, which ended exactly eighty years ago this year. But before we look back, Professor Ismee Tames invites us to engage in a thought-experiment. Rather than focusing solely on the past, she suggests we also project ourselves eighty years into the future. How will people remember us, at the dawn of the 22nd century?

The Second World War as our moral compass

For eighty years, we have used the Second World War as a moral and historical frame. As a way to distinguish ‘right’ from ‘wrong’, or to draw lessons about citizenship and justice. However, the ‘post-war world’ has changed so drastically in recent decades, that the war as a benchmark to understand ‘the now’ is starting to lose its power.

This is not only because the last generations of eyewitnesses are almost gone, but also because the ideas and political projects that shaped post-war society are fading into the background.

The end of the post-war era?

The welfare state and the promise of endless economic growth once formed the hopeful foundation of post-war society. But growing inequality, geopolitical instability, and the climate crisis make these projects feel outdated and as relics of the past.

The once hopeful foundations of post-war society now feel as relics of the past.

Our understanding of the international order has also shifted. First, the divide between ‘the free West’ and ‘the Eastern Bloc’ has disappeared. And now, in 2025, the international legal and political order – based on institutions such as the United Nations, that great post-war experiment – is under pressure. We are witnessing the rise of an unstable global system with competing powers such as China, Russia, and the United States.

In short, we are no longer living in ‘the post-war period’, nor in a time that can be properly understood through the lens of the Second World War.

The 2020s: our own pivotal era

Future generations will see our time as pivotal. Whether it is in terms of peace and conflict, climate and liveability, or political and economic structures – the 2020s represent a moment in which the shape of life on Earth is determined.

There is a good chance that people will one day look back on us the way we now look back on the Second World War: what did our ancestors do? Were they ‘right’ or ‘wrong’? What can we learn from them?

What path are we on today?

In my research into the Second World War I see that people’s actions were crucially influenced by three elements: their skills, their networks, and their previous experiences. These factors made certain choices more likely – or virtually impossible.

Think of artists, who used their skills to forge identity cards. Or businesspeople, customs officials, and students who used their networks to help others escape. Or those who had already been active in helping refugees or defending democracy before the war, and who could draw on those experiences to make informed decisions and assess risks.

We are both descendants and ancestors. What they see then is what we do now.

Conversely, people who were already involved with Nazi or fascist circles before the war often quickly ended up in all kinds of collaboration. And then, of course, there were those whose skills, networks, and experiences best prepared them to do ‘nothing’, to look away, and to cling to ‘business as usual’.

The key question is: where do we stand today? What are our skills, networks, and experiences? Now is the time to reflect on this. In times of relative freedom, we have the chance to change course – the personal risks and dangers are manageable. Behavioural change may be a hassle, but it is not life-threatening.

Our freedom, today

In this commemorative year, we once again pay special attention to the people of the Second World War. To be inspired by them, but also to see what we do not want to ever happen again. At the beginning of the next century, future generations may look back on our time in a similar way.

We are both descendants and ancestors. What they see then is what we do now. Do we want them to see us as people who acted out of despair, anger, and violence? Or as those who, despite all imperfections and uncertainties, acted out of concern for one another and for the future? Our freedom now means putting our answer to these questions into action.