It absolutely is a form a punishment. Spanking the rear doesn't really work as well when one gets older so parents have to adapt. You got off pretty easy.
It's called punishment for a reason. Most people would use a wooden stick or a clothes hanger on their older child. I personally have whacked my 14 year old son when he misbehaved with any stick like object I could find.
It works like a charm and apparently for you, slapping worked for your parents.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.