World Leaders Turn to WWII to Inspire During Virus Crisis

The comparisons have appeared in recent days as the world faces possibly the most serious threat since the last truly international war. Several world leaders have called on people to show the fearlessness of those who lived through World War II.

Some people have warned of an "invisible enemy:" one that could cause death, damage the world's economy and create social problems. Others say it is not helpful to make such comparisons and that they only add to the fear over the coronavirus.

The names, places and battles of World War II bring up many emotions: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Places too can have emotions tied to them: Auschwitz, Pearl Harbor and Midway Island and Stalingrad. Events also can bring emotions: the siege of Leningrad, the German blitz of London, the Allied¹ bombing of Dresden, and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It is estimated that 85 million people died in WWII. The coronavirus has been blamed for tens of thousands of deaths.

Some people worry whether these comparisons are useful or just serve as a metaphor².

World leaders call to action

German Chancellor³ Angela Merkel was born ten years after World War II ended. She grew up in East Germany, a country at the time under the influence of the former Soviet⁴ Union.

Last week, she spoke⁵ to her countrymen on television. She said: "Since the Second World War — there has been no challenge to our nation that has demanded such... united action."

U.S. President Donald Trump⁶ has called himself a ‘'wartime president." He has used or said he would use the 70-year-old Defense⁷ Production Act to battle shortages of medical supplies and equipment like masks and ventilators. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and many media opinion writers have urged him to use the law.

Queen Elizabeth of Britain seemed to recall her young years during the war when she drove military vehicles in Britain.

"At times such as these, I am reminded that our nation's history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one," she said.

Italy has had more deaths than any other nation from the coronavirus so far. Italian Premier⁸ Giuseppe Conte said on television Saturday that he was tightening⁹ the country's restrictions¹⁰ on movement and closing everything except businesses that provide food and medicine.

"We are facing the most serious crisis that the country has experienced since World War II," Conte said.

Rescue plans, employment and technology

Governments are reacting differently to the problems of keeping people working and important industries operating. Rescue plans started by several Western countries remind some people of the Marshall Plan. The Marshall plan was a $15-billion, American plan to rebuild Europe after the end of World War II.

Today, modern economies not only depend on financial resources but also on the internet to connect government services and businesses. Some people wonder what would happen if the internet collapsed¹¹. They say such a happening would be much like the use of an atom bomb, an event of unimaginable destruction.

Words in This Story

inspire– v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create

comparison– n. the act of looking at things to see if they are similar or different

metaphor– n. a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show they are similar

siege– n. a situation in which soldiers or police officers surround a city, building, etc., in order to try to take control of it

blitz– n. a very fast attack

countrymen– n. people who live in or come from the same country as you

recall– v. to remember (something) from the past

remind– v. to make (someone) think about something again : to cause (someone) to remember something

challenge– n. to test the ability or skill of something

mask– n. a piece clothing that covers the mouth for protection

ventilator– n. a medical device that assists breathing

forge– v. to make or create

tighten– v. to increase restrictiveness

1 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

2 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

9 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

11 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。