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"Are there known cities which confronted their past ?" Yes, absolutely - Berlin is the canonical example. The site of the wall isn't paved over or hidden, it's
by atroyn 11y ago
"Are there known cities which confronted their past ?"
Yes, absolutely - Berlin is the canonical example. The site of the wall isn't paved over or hidden, it's a line of bricks that runs right through the city, with several museums and memorials along its length.
The site of the Fuhrerbunker is marked with a sign, despite now being a carpark.
The memorial to the murdered jews of Europe stands as a chilling, disorienting reminder.
There are brass plaques, the famous 'stumbling stones' in places where individual jews were persecuted, marking their names, dates of birth, death and eventual fate (if it was known).
In contrast, Russia's soviet history is often glossed over or lionized.
- sydneysider 10y agoWhereas Germany's Nazi past seems overly dramatised. I'm sure many young Germans these days are sick of being constantly reminded and made to feel guilty for their forefathers sins.
- atroyn 10y agoHaving lived in Germany for a few years now, most young Germans acknowledge the nazis as part of the history, and see them as a cautionary tale of how easily extremism can derail an otherwise advanced country. Any extreme position is therefore regarded with a high degree of skepticism. I think that's pretty healthy.
- fit2rule 10y agoAnecdotal of course, but .. Having lived in both the USA and German, as an outsider (Australian), I can honestly say that I think most German youth are quite okay with their own understanding of their history, and that in fact it gives them an awareness of the dangers of politics, and moreover of the dangers of The People themselves, in the modern context, in granting their leadership heinous powers for which they, The People, then fail to take responsibility. Many German friends I made, expressed the desire that they not - for example - see what happened in Germany, happen in the United States of America. A concern I, of course, share.