n 1945, most French people thought that the Soviet Union deserved the most credit for Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II  — even though the Soviets did not play much of a role in France's liberation, relative to the US and Britain.

By 1995 and 2004, however, the French had changed their minds, and were crediting the US as the biggest contributor to victory in Europe (survey data from the French Institute of Public Opinion)...