Joined May 2017
250 Posts | 94+
Australia
Proposed tute: Has Germany’s impeccable post-war/reunification behaviour earned her some degree of redemption?
Hmmm…. Just don’t mention the war
.
Yep, gonna propose this as a tute, f this damn virus ever permits face-to face interactions without resections again.
Back around 40 - 45 years ago, tutorial consensus was that (West) Germany’s standards of democratic conduct, civil liberties, tolerance (including tolerance of expression of intolerance!), maintenance of freedoms and rights and simple basic decent behaviour had at least earned her a seat once again at the table.
No-one was talking about forgetting or at that stage forgiveness. However it was generally agreed that Germany was on the right track and while she was not in a position to lecture anyone, her voice should be taken into consideration without reference to ‘the war’
Now forty years down the road with continued adherence to decency and and innumerable epiphanies, national catharses and soul-searching regarding the events of 1933- 45 I’m of the opinion that there should be discussion on the forum as to whether Germany has earned at least the first degree of redemption.
Once again I’m not talking about forgetting anything, just suggesting that enough already with way many people still regard (either overtly or as an undercurrent) the Germans and Germany as always somehow ‘different’ because of the war.
World War II has hardly faded from memory has it? There is still a tremendous level of interest in it. But I’m not at all sure how the issue of ‘Germany’ is regarded (or if it even matters) to the younger generation.
I have very often wondered what it must be like to be a modern, liberal, educated German, having to carry all that baggage, to always be worried that some clot will link Germany automatically with Nazism, or that assumptions would be made about me, if I was a German.
Can't be easy.
'The Germans' episode of Fawlty Towers summed it up brilliantly.
Would appreciate any input.
Regards lodestar
Hmmm…. Just don’t mention the war
.Yep, gonna propose this as a tute, f this damn virus ever permits face-to face interactions without resections again.
Back around 40 - 45 years ago, tutorial consensus was that (West) Germany’s standards of democratic conduct, civil liberties, tolerance (including tolerance of expression of intolerance!), maintenance of freedoms and rights and simple basic decent behaviour had at least earned her a seat once again at the table.
No-one was talking about forgetting or at that stage forgiveness. However it was generally agreed that Germany was on the right track and while she was not in a position to lecture anyone, her voice should be taken into consideration without reference to ‘the war’
Now forty years down the road with continued adherence to decency and and innumerable epiphanies, national catharses and soul-searching regarding the events of 1933- 45 I’m of the opinion that there should be discussion on the forum as to whether Germany has earned at least the first degree of redemption.
Once again I’m not talking about forgetting anything, just suggesting that enough already with way many people still regard (either overtly or as an undercurrent) the Germans and Germany as always somehow ‘different’ because of the war.
World War II has hardly faded from memory has it? There is still a tremendous level of interest in it. But I’m not at all sure how the issue of ‘Germany’ is regarded (or if it even matters) to the younger generation.
I have very often wondered what it must be like to be a modern, liberal, educated German, having to carry all that baggage, to always be worried that some clot will link Germany automatically with Nazism, or that assumptions would be made about me, if I was a German.
Can't be easy.
'The Germans' episode of Fawlty Towers summed it up brilliantly.
Would appreciate any input.
Regards lodestar
