In Germany, even the semantics of the word “to lead” — fuehren — are loaded because of associations with Adolf Hitler.
Poland
Moscow Uses Tanks, Berlin Words in World War II Commemorations
In an irony of history, Germany is now the one country that has the moral authority to bridge the contradictions in remembering World War II.
How Vladimir Putin’s Skewed View of World War II Threatens his Neighbors and the West
Remembering the Great Victory is more than an instrument to consolidate Russians. It has also become a way to prepare people for war.
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.
World’s Busiest Shopping Street? Think Warsaw
From the drabness of a socialist command economy, Poland has burst into a sophisticated consumer culture in less than a decade.
