In the late 19th century, Germany was arguably the most enlightened society in the world (try to think of five famous physicists, philosophers, composers or poets without mentioning a German name). This dignity was lost in its entirety, catastrophically, during the national socialist rule. Since then, the Third Reich is *the* central issue of the German national identity and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Every German pupil has to deal with it at about 5 different times during his schooling and most classes visit a concentration camp (most of these sites have been transformed into memorials). Not a single day passes without educational programmes on the public media. Growing up in Germany means growing up with this heritage, and every German hence has developed her or his own way of dealing with the public guilt. For the traveller, this means confusion all the way. You might come across people (especially young ones) eager to talk to you about Germany's history, feeling the
2007-09-26
00:23:40
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11 answers
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Anonymous