Language:
German
Year of publication:
2009
Titel der Quelle:
Dokumente
Angaben zur Quelle:
65,2 (2009) 45-49
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
Abstract:
Compares memory of the Shoah in France and Germany since 1945. After the war the Shoah was taboo in France, as well as in West and East Germany, and the memory of World War II was instrumentalized for political purposes. In France, Gaullism promoted an image, similar to the anti-fascist myth in East Germany, of overall French participation in the resistance. During Adenauer's time in office (1949-63), collective German guilt was denied; this changed during Willy Brandt's chancellorship (1969-74). France was almost a decade slower to take an interest in the fate of the Jews and admit responsibility. The process of acceptance of Shoah as a unique event began in the 1960s. First it was dealt with as a religious matter, then it was turned into a theme for historians with the "historians' debate" in Germany. The late 1980s also witnessed a boom in memorials in both countries, a trend opposed by large segments of the populations. President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl advocated "justified memory", but wished to hush up certain facts about their countries' role in the Final Solution.
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