Benjamin Speth sits in a Munich cafe and displays Nazi photo cards and a songbook. They are the roots of his family.
17-year-old Speth says that he is very interested in the events of the 12-year reign of the Nazis, even though he is not an expert.
– It is a very dark phase in our history, and it affects the patriotism of Germans, Speth states.
At the end of January, 90 years have passed since Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. The grandparents of many young Germans were not even born when the 12-year reign of the Nazis ended.
Nevertheless, the harsh years still follow the Germans.
“Great patriotism is not suitable for Germans”
– Germans must not forget, regardless of how much time has passed, says Speth.
He states that although Germans living today are not guilty of the Nazi atrocities, they still bear responsibility for them.
– It is important to say that Germany did it, and it is important that responsibility is taken for it.
According to Speth, the responsibility extends far into the future. He thinks it would be a shame, and even problematic, if the shameful era of history were forgotten.
Speth is satisfied with how the matter is handled in Germany. He hopes that the discussion will continue to be intense and open. He also hopes that if Russia ever democratizes, Russians will be able to address their country’s atrocities in Ukraine openly and without patriotism, admitting that Russia did wrong.
Speth thinks it’s fitting that the Germans aren’t very patriotic.
– Patriotism would be somewhat wrong for us, he says.
Theresa Winkovich: Young people want to know
21-year-old Theresa Winkovich studies history in Erlangen near Nuremberg in Northern Bavaria.
Winkovich got the spark to explore Germany’s darkest phase from home. His father was “hugely interested” in it.
Thanks to his father, Winkovich has also received more contemporary information than many others: most Germans who lived during the Nazi era did not like to talk about it, but Winkovich’s father got answers from his parents.
According to Winkovich, the young people in his circle of acquaintances have a strong thirst for information. They want to know what happened and also the actions of their own family.
Both Nazis and victims have been found in Winkovich’s family. Mother’s family is from the Czech Republic. My father’s grandfather was from Vienna, and he was a Nazi.
Even though the Holocaust has been studied a lot, according to Winkovich, there is plenty to study.
First of all, there are still many victims whose fate is unknown.
Second, there is plenty to explore in German small towns, as the focus is usually on large cities.
– Jews were expelled from small towns, but many people think that they had nothing to do with the Nazis.
Winkovich considers it important that modern Germans also know the history of that time and the role of their own family at that time.
– It is important in terms of building an identity. Some people have lived in a particular community for generations and don’t know if their grandfather was a criminal or a victim. I think people have an obligation to find out who they are, where they live, and what kind of past the family has had.
It is also important to find out how the dictatorship was able to develop and what the consequences of the dictatorship are, as for example in Russia today.
He points out that today there are right-wing hate groups, discrimination and hate crimes, whose victims are not only Jews, but in general “non-Aryans, in old-fashioned terms”.
Winkovich says he is proud of how intensively Germany has dealt with the dark years of its history. He also considers himself privileged because he gets to live and study in Germany. However, he does not say that he feels patriotism.
Damon Ruhländer: I don’t know if you can love Germany
Damon Ruhländer talks about his relationship with the Holocaust in a cafe in Berlin’s Schöneberg.
Ruhländer, 25, is also a student of history, and he too has familiarized himself with the history of his own family during the Nazi era. There are both Nazis and victims in the family, which even led some relatives to distance themselves from each other.
Ruhländer is doing his final work on Germany’s colonial history. It has received less attention, perhaps precisely because of the focus on the Nazi era.
In Ruhländer’s opinion, young people need an explanation of the past, and one can also learn from it so that the same thing does not happen again. However, according to him, some would like to forget because they would like to see Germany as a strong nation state.
Ruhländer states that even though today’s Germans born after the war are not directly responsible for the atrocities of the Nazis, they have a responsibility to deal with the issue so that the crimes are not forgotten.
– I believe that the responsibility does not end. The matter must be dealt with because the crimes were so great and also unique. It is also the responsibility of future generations.
He likes the way Germany has come to terms with the Nazi past since the 1960s and 1970s, but at the same time states that more could have been done.
The question of patriotism is also difficult for Ruhländer.
– I ask what Germany is. I don’t know if you can love Germany. I love my life in Germany, I love Berlin, but I can’t say the same about Germany.
History professor: The shadow of the Nazi era can be seen in politics
History professor Eckart Conze The University of Marburg points out that large-scale work on the Nazi era is only a culture of recent decades in Germany.
After the war, the Federal Republic of Germany focused on stabilizing the state and unifying the nation. Members of the SS who played a central role in the Nazi genocide were not asked what they had done during the war.
According to Conze, Germany’s current politics cannot be understood without the shadow of National Socialism.
Germany feels a special historical responsibility due to Nazi crimes. Germany has taken in more immigrants and asylum seekers than most other European countries. The country has an understanding attitude towards Israel and has been actively developing the international criminal court, Conze lists.
Critical remembrance of Nazi history has also strengthened democracy and restored Germany’s reputation abroad.
However, the current situation is not self-evident, the professor points out. For example, anti-Semitism and critical forces against democracy have also intensified in Germany. That’s why the critical remembering of history is a never-ending process in Germany, he believes.
Holocaust researcher: Germans want to know, but not about their own grandfather
The young people met have found out about their family’s past. Director of the Holocaust Research Center in Munich, professor Frank Bajohr however, I think it’s quite typical for Germans that they don’t want to know if their own grandfather or great-uncle was involved in the atrocities.
Dealing with the Nazi past has been the most difficult for East Germans. During the GDR, they did not get used to seeing themselves as the heirs of Nazi Germany.
– With socialism, the East Germans moved to the side of the winners of history. They grew up in the Soviet historical picture, says Bajohr.
Bajohr states that the same historical image still lives in Russia. World War II is the Great Patriotic War against the Nazis. There is no mention of the crimes committed by the Red Army.
– Communism no longer has a role, but the picture of history is nationalistic. Basically, however, there has been no development or movement. The worst thing is that the victims of one’s own nation are not remembered, but the government has a hero image, a proud narrative of victory. Victims are a private matter for families.
It has been difficult for many other countries to deal with the wrong sides of their history, both in war and, for example, in relation to colonies.
– Germans cannot afford to criticize others, but I would hope that each nation would work on its worst aspects from history.
Bajohr points out that it helps to see the importance of democracy and the rule of law.
According to him, the historical ballast of mass murder means that Germans cannot have naive patriotism.
– However, Germany’s history is not all black. There is also a free, democratic tradition after 1949. Germany is a democratic country, a rule of law, where moral right and wrong are known. It is a country that has gone through a painful process regarding its history, says Bajohr.