Thank you Germany: Part 026: Strong historical awareness ensures responsibility

Another important quality of Germany is the great historical awareness and the culture of remembrance that is cultivated in the country. People here have learnt something from history. There are probably very few other countries that have dealt with their own past so intensively over many years. Schools have also begun to deal with the dark chapters of German history, and there is also a broad culture of remembrance in the public debate and in urban areas. Every decade discovers new themes.

Again and again, fascinating individual fates and stories are analysed. Both the history of the perpetrators and murderers of National Socialism as well as the history of the victims and the resistance are examined. Each generation finds its own and ever new approach to dealing with the past. Many people take a special responsibility for the present with them when they come to terms with history. This special social and historical responsibility in the present is a great asset of German society. Other countries are also coming to terms with their own history. However, only a few countries work as intensively and professionally in this area as Germany.

There are many research projects that support this important dialogue. However, pupils also work on regional history from their own city in research-based learning projects or dedicate themselves to a very special fate. The respective reference to the topic can arise from very different perspectives. Some projects are dedicated to the history of Jewish athletes, for example, while others deal with the fate of Sinti and Roma. The personal work that many schoolchildren do in this endeavour must also be appreciated. The Stumbling Stones art project commemorates houses in which victims of National Socialism lived. The people are commemorated with small stones on the floor in front of their former homes. Many pupils initiate the laying of such stumbling blocks or subsequently work through the history of the individual's fate.

This creates a very concrete link to biographies from their own city. There is no similar project in other countries involving such a large number of schoolchildren and other people from civil society. There is no doubt that the broad social work has created a strong historical awareness. Many of the active people are turning against injustice and discrimination in the present by confronting historical injustice. In this way, a strong sense of responsibility and civic engagement has emerged, which strengthens the people of the present. This positive side of the historical debate must not be forgotten. It is also something to be proud of and to consciously choose to live in this country.

Not every other country offers such a strong historical dialogue as there is here. In many museums and memorials, people can also gain a direct impression of history. The institutions also offer a varied educational programme for very different groups. Professional guided tours and qualified educational events are offered for schoolchildren as well as senior citizens, young men and women.