Thatcher Changes Her Mind: VE Day Will Be Celebrated
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LONDON — Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has changed her mind and decreed that Britain will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany--VE Day--on May 8.
“I know that there is a good deal of feeling that we should in fact have a national celebration of VE (victory in Europe) Day,” Thatcher told Parliament on Tuesday. “It is a feeling which I understand, and I feel that we should celebrate not only victory of peace with freedom, but the fact that we have had peace with freedom for some 40 years.”
It was a reversal of a government decision that ruled out official celebrations to avoid upsetting West Germany and other nations who were Britain’s enemies in World War II but are now allies.
Thatcher changed her mind after the “no celebrations” announcement provoked widespread criticism in the press and from war veterans.
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