Seventy years ago, Soviet forces surrounded and crushed Hitler’s Sixth Army at Stalingrad. Now an exhibition in Dresden returns to that wintry hell on the Volga.
Memory
Hands Off Germany’s Neo-Nazi Party
Far-right parties are a scourge of many European democracies. But trying to prohibit them does nothing to uproot chauvinism or stop racist violence. It only creates the illusion that politicians are taking action.
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down
Russian nationalists’ embrace of Nazi ideology might seem especially masochistic given Hitler’s plans to enslave and butcher his eastern neighbors. But on the whole, Russians and Germans have gotten along just fine over the past 1,000 years.
We Were Victims Too: The Rediscovery of German Civilian Suffering in World War II
For decades, the Third Reich could be reduced to the most basic formula: Germans = perpetrators, Jews = victims. Two bestsellers published in 2002 allowed Germans to recognize World War II victims among their own.
Transylvanian Town Sees Gold in Dracula Land
For centuries, Sighisoara has slumbered in the heart of Transylvania. Now the Romanian government has decided to capitalize on the region’s most infamous son.
Czech Students’ Lessons on Nazi-Era Ethnic Hatred
As Jaroslav Klenovsky approached his shattered hometown, he encountered a sight that remains seared in his memory. Armed young men were escorting thousands of women, children, and elderly people out of the city. The German population of Brno was being expelled.
Budapest Revisits its Recent Horrors
Few residents would disagree that Budapest’s newest museum, the House of Terror, is haunted. But the ghosts of a turbulent history have not been put to rest.
Jewish Renaissance in Berlin
“Jewish life today is different than before the war,” says Boris Feldmann. “The revival of Jewish life in Berlin is the revival of Russian-speaking Jews.”
Grateful Berlin Recalls US Rescue
Sgt. Charles Bass neatly filled in the last entry of Dieter Hahn’s school attendance booklet with the words: “1946-47, evenings and Sunday mornings, softball and democracy.”
