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 War II
The Hitler-Stalin Pact Still Divides Setuland
You won’t find it on any map, but Setuland really does exist. The place is inhabited by the Setus, an agrarian people who have distinguished themselves as singers of marathon epics about their legendary king and fertility god, Peko.
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.
Germany Sheds Its Pacifist Role
“For the first time since the end of World War II, German soldiers are on a combat mission,” Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said. “We cannot exclude dangers to life and limb for our soldiers.”
Distant Germans Feel Pull of ‘Homeland’
“I don’t say that I live badly. I have my husband and sons. I live with God,” says Zina Ida Leipi. “When a person has bread, water, and peace, then he is happy.”
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.”
Curb-Side Symbolism as Berlin Rebuilds
The proposal to demolish the Palace of the Republic has fed suspicions among eastern Germans that the West is attempting to erase all signs of their past identity.
Better to Mention the War Than to Forget It
It took more than half a century to complete the reconstruction of Berlin. It took only a few weeks to reduce it to rubble.
