American college students---clueless and indifferent about World War II

I teach a Foreign Business Practices course at a State University. I recently watched this movie, and the other day I brought up the subject of World War II to my class. I was appalled and dismayed by the almost total lack of knowledge among the young adults in my class about even the most basic facts about the war. Only half of my 25 students could even venture a few confused facts about the war. Here is a sampling of some of the more jaw-dropping comments:


The Germans were our allies and the war was fought against Russia.

Either JFK or Eisenhower was president during the war.

Not a single one could name any of the leaders of the "Big Three" allies in the war. They thought "Stalin" was the name of a foreign car!

It took place in either Korea or Vietnam, (they thought).

The Chinese bombed Pearl Harbor.

The number killed during the war was "a few thousand or so".


These are young people who are going into business careers that will take them overseas. What kind of impression are they going to make when they go to countries like Russia and China, where memory of World War II is still very much alive? And profess a total ignorance of it? They're going to look like idiots!

Worst of all was the obvious disinterest they displayed in learning anything about the history of the war. The most titanic conflict in human history, and it's epicenter was Russia. And these young adults know almost nothing about it---and care about it even less!