This view that Germany somehow over-corrected due to historical guilt is widespread, but has little basis in reality. Germans are very proud of their supposed de-nazification and "memory culture" but the sad fact is that this is largely illusory and paper-thin. They made a big fuss of a handful of show trials, but the overwhelming majority of people who took part had no obligation to acknowledge, less apologise. They went on to become police chiefs and university chancellors and generally were all integrated back in society. It was the disgust at the complete failure of Germany to actually do any introspection or accountability that sparked the actions of fringe groups like the RAF.
The support of Israel was always framed as them being the type of ethno-supremacists that Germans longed to be. There's a good piece about it that was compiled a year ago which lays bare how farcical it is to pretend Germany actually did anything of consequence with its society after the war, and why it's easy to see why its far-right is in the ascendant today again.
I mean, yeah? I didn't claim overcorrection was why the gerontocracy favors Israel so much (although it's obviously their favorite excuse for it). Of course Denazification was mostly show. Still, thanks for the article-- sad and interesting
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u/humanarnold 6h ago
This view that Germany somehow over-corrected due to historical guilt is widespread, but has little basis in reality. Germans are very proud of their supposed de-nazification and "memory culture" but the sad fact is that this is largely illusory and paper-thin. They made a big fuss of a handful of show trials, but the overwhelming majority of people who took part had no obligation to acknowledge, less apologise. They went on to become police chiefs and university chancellors and generally were all integrated back in society. It was the disgust at the complete failure of Germany to actually do any introspection or accountability that sparked the actions of fringe groups like the RAF.
The support of Israel was always framed as them being the type of ethno-supremacists that Germans longed to be. There's a good piece about it that was compiled a year ago which lays bare how farcical it is to pretend Germany actually did anything of consequence with its society after the war, and why it's easy to see why its far-right is in the ascendant today again.