The Imperial War Museum

This tour was most definetly the most emotional, but eye opening tour I have been on so far here. Upon arriving at the museum you are instantly struck with a lot of history, most of which is terrible but fascinating. The peace garden really helped to set the mood for the rest of the tour as I felt like I was really able to think and reflect on the severity of the exhibits.

At first the museum seems like a normal World War Two museum like we have in the states, but it later hits you that you’re experiencing the war history from the point of view of a whole different culture and mindset.

While I was very Interested in seeing all of the displays of the vehicles and weapons used in battle, I was more amazed by all of the different cultural aspects of Englands war history. With the rations, the government, the hardships that families had to endure, it made me realize that Americans have a very different idea of what that war meant to the rest of the world.

Making my way in to the holocaust exhibit was really when I got overwhelmed by the tragedy and evil that surrounded this era of history. The whole exhibit was so raw and honest about all of the pain, loss, and true suffering that the Jewish community had to experience. As someone who is interested in war history, this is something I have studied and researched. Experiencing that exhibit was nothing like the readings or the films and it really made the impact of the war hit me in a complete way.

As depressing as this tour became, I am still very glad to have seen it as it has been very informational and has made me realize a lot about government and hate. I believe that seeing these kinds of exhibits is how everyone can learn to understand how the holocaust began and how to prevent anything similar from happening again.