Eighty years after May 8, 1945: what peace for today?

Eighty years ago, Nazi Germany surrendered. Four years later, the Basic Law was formulated. Thomas Fischer, former judge at the Federal Court of Justice, asks: What is the meaning of Article 1 sec. 1 GG in 2025?

While peace is being threatened and undermined in our societies, Robert Schuman's words of May 9, 1950 are becoming more and more relevant. Let us build peace, which is a gift of life. ...

"Today marks eighty years since the great anti-fascist victory of the peoples and the surrender of Nazi Germany. On May 8, 1945, the troops of the Soviet Union entered Berlin, while shortly after midnight, at 0.43 a.m. on May 9, 1945, the unconditional capitulation of Nazi Germany was signed," SYRIZA-PS said in a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the end of World War II. "May 9 will always be a day of remembrance and honor for the …

80 years ago, on May 9, 1945, on the first day of peace after the end of World War II, Soviet aircraft attacked a number of Czech and Moravian cities. The Red Army pilots targeted German soldiers and their allies who had not complied with the surrender protocols. Soviet bombs reportedly killed 1,300 people at that time, for example, 148 people died in Mladá Boleslav alone, and according to some experts, there were up to 500 dead.

Enns. On 8 May 1945 the Second World War was ended. The Enns Bridge then formed the border between the Russian and American occupation zones for 10 years. 80 years later, the Mauthausen Committee invited Enns to a festival for peace on the bridge, to which, despite the rain, numerous participants and spectators came. Children's, youth and adult choirs from Enns and Ennsdorf and the Stadtkapelle Enns designed the musical program.

On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany capitulated after years of fierce and devastating war. Eighty years later, what remains of the 8-May?