Why do you say that you don't feel responsible? Everybody who posts a comment is not responsible because they are too young... If you don't accept any responsibility you're not trustworthy when you say that you want to be responsible to prevent this again. Better you don't say anything because it sounds fake....
@@ofsailorsandsirens Well, my Grandparents were around back then. My mother was a child during WWII. I've met them. It's not like it happened in the dark ages.
When you were describing your opinion on how to deal with your country's dark past you basically described the same mindset most Germans have. Don't try to hide it, but also don't celebrate it. Be brutally honest about it. So we may never forget and never repeat it. We're not responsible for what our ancestors did but we are responisble to never repeat their mistakes.
one could say that the German people were the first victims of Nazi oppression. Of course there was much collaboration, but i argue that this came mostly from fear, the mantle of legitimacy that the conservative party provided them after the election and the meticulous Gleichschaltung the Nazis enacted to control or dissolve every institution the Germans had, while brutally eradicating every opposition. To shift the discourse over to individual responsibility is a disgusting process pitched and guided by the winner loser dynamic of the war and is not grounded in reality. Many of those really responsible, fled, died or even got reinstated into power. Scientists involved in the Holocaust were deported and worked for the allied countries. While those kids and grandkids of those who just tried to stay afloat in a world of war are ascribed some guilt?
You are a very compassionate man. Thank you very much for your insightful reaction to this video. There is one aspect I am really proud of in this country, which is the history lessons I had in school that reflected the past in a way it had to be. Love from Germany and all the best to you for the new year. P.S.: Just FYI, there have been similar -- and even higher -- numbers of people killed in the former Soviet Union, in China and in Cambodia.
True about the red terror in the ussr in times of Lenin and Stalin, like the holodormo in the today ucraine region and the great purge. the chinese "great leap forward" in the rule of Mao . the terror and murder in cambodia under the KhmerRrouge and Pol Pott. the japanese killed millions of chinese in WW2 and the turkish killed close to a million aremenians in WW1. but never was one attrocity so well organised as the holocaust, the sad and horrible efficiency to kill a turn to ashes thousands in a few hours like "industrial process" (as it is sometimes described) as done in the extermination camps like Auschwitz. the only thing close in my opinion was the murder of hundreds of thousands of japanese people in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, attacks that did not influence the war (which ultimately was the attack of the soviets on japan at the Manchurian front and the landing on some of the northern islands convincing the japanese leaders war was lost) That's why we usually don't wave our flag and we are silently proud to be germans, as in the name of germany and the german people the worst so much harm was done. Never to forget, never to allow it to happen again anywhere in the world.
cleaning the grave stones is a great exercise in humility… Great. I wish we had been made to do something like this when I was in school! Then again, my class went to Auschwitz and we prepared for it with student and teacher presentations… I remember the total shock of being there on a sunny day with green grass and a blue sky when - although I knew so much about the Nazi regime already, all was in my mind in black and white. It was a real awakening to see it “in color“ to be reminded of people then living there “in color“…
17:30 In short: yes. It's also not that we think waving out flag about and being "proud" (that word has a bit of a different connotation in German) of our country specifically is a thing to be cautious of, like many Americans apparently assume (at least on UA-cam). It's that we find it weird in general. Many of us still love our country as our home. But fervent patriotism is weird to us, just in general.
The people, who I know that they are proud of Germany, tend to work in some way to make Germany better, like help homeless people, take part in cultural groups (music, dance etc), help with integration, etc. Patriotism in Germany is often more proactively bringing the country forward and less throwing around symbols or phrases
Don‘t even talk about the American custom to ‚pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…….‘ This is very fascist-adjacent to any German who is confronted with that
As state in the video in the past it was "Deutschland über alles in der Welt" .. this had been perverted in negating the right of existence for things not being seen as german (inside germany). Sadly there are still some stupid people with this mindeset. And it is only a small step from love for one thing to hate for the other things. And this I need to see not only in germany but in lots of other places in the world.
Germans proudly waving around the German flag aside from international sport events always raise a sense of alarm to us fellow Germans because those showing national pride via the flag are mostly Neonazis
What I like about the Stolpersteine the most, it involves everyone. Mostly the people themselves who live now in a house do the research, who lived there and what happened to them, than reach out for the artist Gunter Deming and founding the stone privatly. Second is in some streets you see so many "Stolpersteine" it makes the dimension visible. And the sentence from the older people who lived back in the days "We didn't know..." feels so implausible. Like your videos! ❤
I‘ve seen an interview with Gunther Deming where he said that the people do mostly step around the Stolpersteine out of respect because it feels wrong to walk over someone’s gravestone, but because the brass was designed to be walked over to keep it shining, he now has to make time to clean them so they can still be read…
There are some who think it is wrong that the stumbling blocks are placed in the ground. People would look down on the stumbling blocks and signs should be placed at eye level, but there is a special reason why the stumbling blocks are placed in the ground. You have to bow down or kneel down to read the inscriptions. So everyone has to make more or less a gesture of respect.
Great reaction. It's still a sensitive topic. At least for some groups. Just have a look on the dislikes on this original video. There are many people who want history stay untouched and not mentioned. Of course, a minority, but we have to watch out. And we do! There's a great video 'the fallen of WWII'. Includes a comparison to other wars in history. As you mentioned. 'Easy german' would be a nice channel for your entertainment
I'm an 33 years old mother from Germany and it feels like we talked sometimes to much about our dark history. I can barley remember any other topic in History class all around my 13 years until I finished school. Maybe it is because it wan't only Historie Class where we talked about it. But it is important to talk about our past. I am glad, that the bell doesn't ring anymore. But I think it should handle over to a museum. I really love the "Stolpersteine". Even my little son with his 3.5 years ask me about the "Stolpersteine". I tried my best to explain it as kid friendly as possible. And when we now walk by a stumbling stone, he is like "oh Look mommy. Another one." he than mostly give the stone a really friendly soft touch before we can continue the walk. I never told him to do it, it is just what he wants to do. I wanna cry every single time, when he does it. And we should mention, all the change, all the work and all the things we do in response of our history happend in the time of the last 100 years. That's not that long. And I would like to apologize for my poor writing skills in English. I always have difficulties because our German grammar is much more complex and complicated.
Wow. Dein Kleiner ist ja echt süß. Auch wenn er sich dessen derzeit wohl nicht bewusst sein wird, hoffentlich behält er dieses Mindset. Das ist wirklich eine schöne Geste. Was hast du ihm denn erzählt, dass er das macht? :-) Ja, ich habe auch das Gefühl, dass wir manchmal zu viel drüber reden in der Schule - und manche Leute dadurch so abstoßen, dass wir sie vielleicht sogar an Extreme verlieren. Aber solche Stolpersteine, sowas wie Gedenkstätten Ausschwitz und co - sowas ist sehr wichtig.
@@m.v.1594 Danke ich hoffe auch, dass er ein wenig so bleibt. Naja er weiß großbm, was es heißt wenn jemand stirbt bzw wenn wir sgen, dass jemand gestorben bzw tod ist, da er den Tod seiner Uroma mitbekommen hat und da auch am trauern war. Ich hatte ihm damals gesagt "Das sind Stolpersteine, die erinnern uns daran, dass hier Menschen gelebt haben, die zu unrecht und viel zu früh durch einen sehr bösen Mann gestorben sind." er hatte dann noch nachgefragt ob dafür nur 1 Mann oder viele Männer schuld dran waren. Hab ihm dann erklärt, dass ein böser mann das so wollte und einige einfach das getan haben, was er gesagt hat. Tiefer musste ich ihm das dann zum Glück nicht erklären. War für ihn dann scheinbar schlüssig und joa.
On May 23, 2024, the Federal Republic of Germany will celebrate its 75th anniversary. 75 years of the Basic Law, 75 years of SOCIAL market economy, 75 years of democracy, 75 years of a federal state, 75 years of a republic, 75 years of a welfare state, 75 years of a constitutional state. 67 years of membership in the European Union and its predecessor organization, 79 years of peace in Germany. 75 years of a perspective state. 75 years of partners in the West and NATO. 75 years of reconciliation with its neighbors. 5 times elected to the United Nations Security Council. 20 years of non-intervention in Iraq war. As the former West German politician Egon Bahr in Bonn once said in a calm voice: "There is no need to be afraid of this Germany. It has become a different Germany." ❤
Ich hoffe du setzt dich noch einmal etwas mehr mit der Geschichte auseinander.. Wir haben weder den ersten noch zweiten Weltkrieg angefangen und sollten absolut stolz sein.. Letztendlich gab es einen großen Unterschied zwischen Nazis, Deutschen und Wehrmacht Soldaten. Außerdem war die BRD das erste Deutschland was nicht ein wahres Deutschland war sondern einfach nur ein vom Westen und Nato besetzter Ort.. Die alliierten wollten im zweiten Weltkrieg das deutsche Volk ausrotten und anstatt es mit bomben zu tun.. Taten sie etwas anderes.. Deutschland Zwischen den Jahren 1871- 1914 und auch mehr oder weniger von 1933-1940 war eine absolute hoch Zeit (Ohne damit die Nazi Verbrechen zu entschuldigen) Menschen verstehen nicht warum die deutschen so etwas grausiges böses tun konnten und hitler Folgten.. Dabei Ist es absolut simpel.. Wenn du kein essen auf dem Tisch hast, kein Wasser und dir mit dem Geld den Arsch abwischen kannst.. Dann interessiert es dich nicht wen du unterstützt.. Hauptsache dieser jemand holt dich aus dieser Krise raus.. Stell dir vor wie dunkel die Situation in Deutschland war dass die Menschen ihre Rechte Freiwillig Abgaben.. Dann sehe ich solche Komplett historisch unaufgeklärten Menschen die alles in unserer großen Geschichte verteufeln und "Nazi" nennen. Ihr solltet euch schämen.. So viele generation haben ihr Blut hier für gegeben.. Das Deutsche Volk wurde ausgepresst und verraten doch wir haben niemals aufgegeben und konnten uns zweimal gegen einen Planeten verteidigen und fast gewinnen.. Das was die Briten und Franzosen in 100 Jahren mit Massen Sklaverei Geschafft haben, haben die deutschen in 40 Jahren geschafft mit harter eigener Arbeit und gesunden Handel.. Du weißt sicher noch nicht mal das die deutschen niemals Sklaverei führten.. Selbst in den kolonien nicht.. Wir investierten sogar in diese. Der Fakt dass Frankreich und Britannien das Welt Reich der Welt weiß machen wollten das dieses kleine Deutschland mit einem bruch Teil von ihren kolonien die Welt erobern wollte.. Ist absolut lächerlich. Der zweite Weltkrieg wurde genau wie der erste von den Briten angefangen welche neidisch auf unsere Größe waren.. Sie haben keine guten Intentionen gehabt und wollten uns ausmerzen.. Weil die deutschen es schafften sich aus der schlimmsten Krise, aus der Asche, an die Spitze zu arbeiten.. So ein Volk kann man nicht brechen. Außer man verändert das Volk.. Was genau der Fall war in der BRD und ab 1990 auch in Ostdeutschland. Die deutschen werden umgezogen sich und ihre Geschichte zu hassen.. Außerdem wurden wir Amerikanisiert.. Ich möchte noch einmal anmerken das ich weder dem Osten noch Westen zustimme... Beides dieselbe Medaille. Fakt ist aber das wir jetzt nur noch eine puppe der Amis sind.. Umgeschult und verzogen.
Wenn ich dürfte würde ich meine Meinung erläutern ;-) Wäre nett wenn sie mir ihre Zeit geben.. Ich bin ein absolut stolzer deutscher und möchte mein Volk erhalten.. Manche Menschen sagen jetzt: "Aber wir - wir sind doch alles die gleichen Menschen" Wir sind zwar alle Menschen aber was soll das für ein Argument hast? Wir sind nicht alle die gleichen Menschen.. Das ist nunmal ein Fakt und das ist auch gut so.. Sonst würde die Welt ziemlich grau aussehen. Menschen sind unterschiedlich.. Es gibt rassen.. Steht sogar in dem Grundgesetz. Das ist auch nichts schlechtes.. Im Gegenteil.. Jede Rasse hat ihre wunderbare Kultur.. Und Mentalität. Manche hingegen sind produktiver als andere.. Dafür haben andere eine tiefere kultur. Das ist einfach so.. Welche Menschen waren es nochmal die sich zweimal aus der Asche gearbeitet haben an die Spitze? Die deutschen.. Man sollte unter sich bleiben, weil man das eigene Volk erhalten möchte.. Die Tradition, kultur und Sprache.. Mentalität. Welche logischerweise zerfällt wenn andere Menschen mit komplett anderen Hintergründen hier her kommen. Früher konnten sich nicht mal wirklich deutsche untereinander unterhalten, was heute zwar immer noch gängig ist, aber weniger wird. Wir haben schon so viel Kultur und Mentalität verloren. 1 - 3% Migration in einem Land ist immer normal.. Aber nicht wenn es 20% sind welche sich überhaupt gar nicht anstrengen möchten oder können. Welche unser sozial System ausnutzen.. Dann höre ich jemand sagen: "wir sind doch alles Menschen".. Was ist mit unseren obdachlosen? Arbeitslosen? Alten Menschen.. Welche ihr Leben lang gearbeitet haben und getan haben.. Wie die unzähligen deutschen Generationen vor uns. Die haben für das Land gekämpft und sich eine bessere Zukunft erwünscht.. Was war mit der Pest? Den Weltkriegen? Hat das deutsche Volk jemals aufgegeben? Haben wir nicht immer weiter gearbeitet und unglaubliche Persönlichkeiten hervor gebracht? Und während die alten deutschen dass erreicht haben, das einstige große Deutschland, haben sie nochmal schnell die wichtigsten Erfindungen der neu Zeit geschaffen und unglaubliche Entdeckungen in Medizin vollbracht. Heute werden wir umgeschult damit wir unseren Stolz verlieren und die altdeutschen preußischen Tugenden.. Welche uns so stark gemacht haben. Da die Amis unser Potenzial fürchten.. Weil wir nur ihre puppe bleiben sollen. Ich fürchte das dieses Volk mit seinen Errungenschaften und großer Geschichte, verschwinden wird. Was aktuell passiert. Denn Fakt ist.. Wir sind nicht alle gleich und Menschen unterschätzen das Böse in anderen Menschen. Auch wenn viele Einwanderer hierher kommen um neue Möglichkeiten zu finden, ist dies letztendlich nicht unser Problem.. das Problem des deutschen Volkes.. Sondern das Problem bzw. Das versagen des Volk und Landes dieser Einwanderer. Weil diese sich eben nicht solch ein Reichtum durch harte fleißige Arbeit oder Kompetenz aufbauen konnten, bzw. Solche Dichter und Denker produzieren konnten wie das deutsche Volk. Darunter auch: der erste Milliardär der USA, Erfinder des automobil, des Periodensystem, des Buchdruck, des Modernen Schulsystem und mit unter die reichsten Familien der Welt.. Wie die Rothschilds. Welche ebenfalls deutsche vorfahren haben. Dafür setzte ich mich ein.. Für Deutschlands Interessen und das Wohlbefinden meiner Leute. Danach sehen wir weiter. Man möchte seine eigene Ethnie erhalten und die Wunder welche diese Menschen produzierten. Ich trete jedem Menschen erstmal mit Respekt gegenüber aber bin absolut für mein Volk.. Da ich es einfach so liebe.. Diese 2000 Jahre an Geschichte welche in mir und uns steckt.. In den 2000 Jahren wo sich das deutsche Volk als eines der größten auf diesem Planeten etablieren sollte. Egal was kam.. Die plage, der 30 jährige Krieg.. Die beiden Weltkriege.. Der Versuch von den alliierten das deutsche Volk zu vernichten im zweiten Weltkrieg.. Doch niemals haben wir aufgehört. Ich bin stolz auf unsere Errungenschaften und unglaublichen Mut und die einstige entschlossenheit des deutschen Volkes. Seien sie stolz auf ihre Herkunft. Ich Ich sage Deutschland den Deutschen. Ich wünsche ihnen einen schönen Abend. Hoffentlich war das nicht zu viel weil wenn man vom ganz anderen Spektrum kommt ist es immer ein wenig.. Schwierig zu reden. Doch dafür setzte ich mich ein.. Für Deutschlands Interessen und das Wohlbefinden meiner Leute. Wir waren einst ein Land der Dichter und Denker. Der Wissenschaft, des Handwerks, Der Kraft und des Stolzes! Heute sind wir ein Land der Vollidioten und verblendeten. Möge Tradition, Geschichte und tiefe Kultur in unser Land zurückkehren. Wir haben die Welt geformt mit unseren europäischen Brüdern. Deutschland, aufrichten! Gott mit uns.. ua-cam.com/video/Pjc0tGq8noM/v-deo.htmlsi=pLWLRRrwoOsJTakV
@@Kiranbela438 Wie das mein guter Herr? So wie ich aus dem Fenster schaue sehe ich gebrochene Leute.. Eine gebrochene Gesellschaft wo die Familie bricht.. Die ihre Wurzeln hassen und welche umgeschult werden.. Eine positive Veränderung spricht absolut nichts entgegen aber diese "Veränderungen" bedeutet das Ende von 2000 Jahren an großer Geschichte wofür Generationen nach Generationen alles gaben.. Eine Veränderung die nur eines bewirken soll: Umschulung und Niedergang der altdeutschen - Preußischen Tugenden.. Unseres Stolzes und unserer Nationalität. Unsere gesamte Vereinigung basiert auf Nationalismus.. Das war überhaupt der Grund warum unser Land funktioniert.. Die deutschen wollten einen Deutschen Staat. Damals hatten wir keinen Deutschen Staat.. Heute haben wir zwar einen Staat aber kein Volk.. Geschweige denn ein vereinigtes. Nehme man eins von den beiden Dingen weg.. Dann vergeht all das was uns groß machte und letztendlich auch der Welt half.. Ein stolz der Menschen bindet und wütend machen kann falls man uns schlecht behandelt.. Einen stolz wodurch wir die größten Erfindungen und Entdeckungen der Moderne machten. Es ist wohl kein Geheimnis zu sagen dass dieser Verfall oder eben Veränderung ohne Grund passiert. Ich habe einmal ein interessantes Video für sie.. Falls sie möchten. ua-cam.com/video/BuM-FLzDK8k/v-deo.htmlsi=A3rvIFFR3SBhanxI ua-cam.com/video/GmBRrpPfW-A/v-deo.htmlsi=APNqMrwJ6obLHDsJ Ich persönlich erhalte gerne was hunderte deutsche Generationen Aufbauten.. Eine wunderschöne Erkenntnis dass diese Menschen für sie und mich gestorben sind und gekämpft haben und wir treten sie.. Das ist letztendlich was deutsch sein ausmacht.. Wie unser Kaiser einst sagte: "Immer sein bestes geben, auch wenn es keinen Dank erfährt. Wer das lernt und kann, der ist ein glücklicher. Freier und stolzer. Immer schön wird sein Leben sein. Wer misstrauisch ist begeht ein Unrecht gegen andere und schädigt sich selbst. Wir haben das Recht jeden Menschen für gut zu halten, solange er uns nicht das Gegenteil beweist " -Kaiser Wilhelm II ua-cam.com/video/F2P3SPM23E4/v-deo.htmlsi=SfoBl5OJG2mMlTzI
I, as a German, would like to say a few things. I can't speak for every German, only for myself. In history lessons, we learn about no other era as precisely as the Nazi period. We watch documentaries or visit concentration camps and are given comprehensive information. It hurts and it's disturbing. I remember a documentary in which a 14-year-old told how she was forced to kick a Jewish classmate until she was dead. Stories like that have an impact on you. And I think that's a good thing. We learn what people are capable of. We learn what it leads to if you follow blindly and don't say no in time. We learn what it leads to when you tolerate the intolerant. We also learn what nationalism leads to. This develops a humble sense of identity. I am proud not to be proud of being German. I know what kind of people are proud of it. And I don't believe that this humble way is only the right way for Germany. How many millions of people died because of Chinese and Russian dictators? How many people were enslaved by Spain and Great Britain? The history of all countries is deeply evil and there is little to be proud of. We should humbly try to grow together and build the future of a united, peaceful humanity instead of being proud of the old, the broken.
Its notg a verman question. Its s human question...besides Poland...france. netherlands. Etc helped.....it is,what it is...and now? Ukra ine. Israel.....not much learned
The part of our national anthum (is not sung anymore) "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (Germany above all) is due to a time when Germany existed of a lot of several states that were united in the german Reich. So Germany above all meant, lets unite in one country - Germany.
Thanks for this reaction! My dad told me he travelled a lot in the early 70s, he was in France and the UK and he told me that some people were very hostile and condescending to him becaus he is german! He was born in 1948 so he was definitely not guilty of the nazi crimes!
As a germa( born in ´95,) i think, we are not responsible for what happend while the nazi regime, but as Inherits, we are responsible that things like that never happen again
About waving the German flag: your assumption plays a significant role in it. But there are more reasons about that. One may be seen in the fact that Germany as a united nation is comparatively young. It happened in 1871 when the second German empire was founded at the end of a war between German states led by Prussia and France. That German Empire had a different flag (hrizontal stripes of black, white and red). That was intentional because during a failed revolt in 1848/49, German revolutionaries wanted to establish a democracy and they were gathering under a different flag - the one we use today (black-red-gold). Prussia took a dominating place in the 2. German Empire. However it wasn't popular everywhere in Germany for a couple of reasons. And since that empire was an association of several states led by aristocrates - kings, dukes, counts - people kept identifying with their local statehood at least quite as strongly as with the empire. The dire situation of Germany at the end of WWI was provoking a another revolution. A successful one this time resulting in Germany becoming a democratic republic with a written constitution. For the first time the flag representing a democratic Germany (black-red-gold) was made the official one. Now Germany became a kind of federation of countries again - and still many Germans were rather identifying with their local country more than with the entire German Republic. The Nazis - despising democracy - abolished the black-red-gold flag quickly and replaced it with their own one with the swastika in 1933. After 1945, both German states - the FDR (West Germany) and the GDR (East Germany) - returned to the black-red-gold flag - however the GDR with additional symbols inside it (a pair of compasses and a hammer). Most of the former countries inside Germany were kept although some were united to become bigger units of administration (eg. Baden-Württemberg combining three former countries). Hence that spirit of regional identification versus national/federational identification still persists until today. After a few years in which Germany was really struggling hard to get on its feet again neighbouring countries - particularly France - decided to avoid isolating Germany and to start first steps to more cooperation and integration within Western Europe. Those efforts led to the formation of the EEC and the EU now. Together with strong support from the USA by the Marshall plan it helped Germany to rebuild itself and reestablish as a strong economy and stable democracy. Hence many Germans identify themselves quite as much as Europeans as they do as Germans.
German patriotism often shows differently. We are less about symbolism (partially because Germany was seperated for most of it's history and also because of the nazis focus on symbols) and more about making the country even better. Political engagement, participating in cultural unions, helping less fortunate people, helping with public services, hell even just paying the taxes to help other Germans etc. Generally just giving back to the community is often done due to a feeling of being proud of the country and wanting to represent it. I guess that is also part of German efficiency: trying to make the country better rather than throwing around big words
The way 'patriotism' is expressed in countries like the US or UK is often considered nationalistic (with a exclusiv/negativ connotation) by Germans. For us it just feels way over the top and yes, that's definetly influenced by our own history. Examples pledge to the flag (US) Union Jack plastering on groceries (UK) PS I won't even start to talk about the Tories, but their 'path' is dark and scary.
Finally the part of our national anthum, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (Germany above everything) has got nothing to do with the Nazis. In the 1800s Germany consisted of 300 little states. Hofmann von Fallersleben wrote this text because he had a big desire for a united Germany (=not every little state but the union of all is important). By the way this part of the german anthum is not sung any more due to the past.
There is also one stumbling stone in the UK (London). It's where Ada van Dantzig worked. She moved home (Rotterdam/Netherlands) in 1939 and was killed in Auschwitz 1943.
I really like your highly nuanced outlook on the bell. Basically that's what many Germans feel as well. Keep the bell, unchanged, as part of history but also place it in a museum. With a plaque explaining the origin of the bell, why the bell was silenced, but not destroyed. It's a difficult topic. Not everything from the Nazi era was inherently evil or abolished afterwards because it still had rousing and potentially positive qualities. For example, the torch being carried by an athlete to light the olympic flame at the regular Olympic Games was originally introduced by the Nazis in the 1936 Olympics. Yet despite its origins it wasn't banished afterwards. Another example is the origin of Fanta, the soft drink. It also originated from the German local production facilities of the Coca Cola company in the early 1930's when Coca Cola HQ in America embargoed Germany and didn't send any more basic cola syrup to Germany. Germany's production managers created this artificial flavor to at least use some of the components they still had in storage. While the original Fanta was nothing like the Fanta we know today it's origins definitely go back to the Nazi era in Germany. The question is, how far do we go in eradicating everything that had its origins in that era, possibly even developed by the Nazis? How much do we want to hide the origins? Or do we acknowledge the origins yet re-examine the object or concept if it holds any value to us despite the origins? This is a difficult decision to make, and I certainly don't envy anyone forced to make such decisions. Edit: your question about Germans lack of patriotic displays. Yepp, you pretty much summed it up. Because we've been taught that there isn't a clear distinction between patriotism and nationalism. Both share a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram of discernible characteristics. Yet it is so easy to loose sight of the patriotic and to step into the nationalistic part, often unknowingly and subconsciously. The only time you will see Germans display the German flag proudly is at the soccer world cup, or maybe the Olympics. Basically any sports events where politics are reasonably kept out of the situation is the only time Germans feel it's safe to be proud of showing the German flag. Edit 2: the number of Stolpersteine/ stumbling stones has risen to over 75000 by now since that documentary. Munich's Jewish Council however criticized that there are memorials on the ground on sidewalks, believing it to be disrespectful to the dead that people could walk over them, stepping on them. Thus Munich decided to remove the stumbling stones from the ground and placing plaques on the walls of the buildings with the same info instead. I am a bit ambivalent about that decision. On the one hand, yes, it *could* be disrespectful. However, they are so obviously different from other cobblestones around them that they capture the attention of passersby far better than plaques on buildings at eye height. In addition to that the stones require people to bow their heads if they want to read the inscriptions, resulting in an automatic humble, thoughtful pose. Anyone I know won't usually step on something that is quite obviously different from the surrounding area. Those who do don't give a damn about showing respect in any case, whether they are stones in the sidewalk, or a plaque on a wall. As such while I accept the decision of Munich I do not agree with their reasoning.
I also find it a sad decision to rip the Stolpersteine out…it‘s not nearly as informative to have a plaque on some building, because as a usual inhabitant I don‘t have time to read all the ‚touristy‘ information about any building and the 100 year history… But even if I don‘t take the time to read the names and dates, the Stolpersteine are unique and will remind you of the Shoa even if you are busy running an errand. Oftentimes at special days of rememberance you can see flowers, stones and little candles placed next to them, too.. Pretty sure that doesn‘t happen next to the plaques
The “problem” with Britain’s atrocities is the same as with Germany’s colonial atrocities, they happened far away at places most citizens haven’t visited or heard of, the holocaust happed directly were we live now and so remembrance and acknowledgment are “easier”
I think the major difference between British and German empire is that the former was much larger and lasted longer. British attrocities happened way after WWII (see Chagos Archipelago) or the british war crimes committed in the 1950ies during the Kenya Emergency) while the colonies of the German Empire were "handed over" to other empires after WWI. It took Germany over 100 years to acknowledge the Herero and Namaqua genocide. Every country who was powerful misused its power at one time of its history. My opinion is, that anyone who is taking pride to belonging to some nation should acknowledge the whole history (the good and the bad). And yes, Germans are proud of their country, we just don't use flags to show our pride.
about 10:20 intresting point for a german born 1965..... glad to hear from a british citizen. To make it clear; i AM not A german revisionist but i also do not want to feel guilty for things i havent done I had turkish neighours since childhood was in kindergarden with a black GI boy and allways had friends of all nations and met aswholes of ALL colures, nations and cultures
Hey. I am from germany. I was born in 1968. I do not have to do something with this dark past of germany but I know, like the most german people about our duty from all that hapening. But that does not mean that we are not patriotic. You can see many german flags during a soccer turnament. Well, maybe we are not so patriotic that we will do anything for our country without thinking about the sencse. Maybe we have learn a lot? I think yes, and that is good so! By the way.... do you know the good old british show "Dinner for one "? Funfact: this black and white movie will be showed every new years eve in german tv in the original language. And many germans are watching it every year. If you never heard about it please look for it and I will be happy about a reaction from you. Many lovely greatings from Duisburg in Germany!!
@@miskatonic6210 Hallo. I think you understand my Comment a little bit wrong. Maybe my english is not so good. Sorry for that. Now, sure, my grandfather was a german soldier in WW2. He told me a lot of this dark time. Now I know my part of beeing part of the german culture. But this is the past, and I think in the present Germany have done many things to work with its past and to make sure that something like WW2 never happens from Germany again. Once again, sorry when my comment could be understood false!!
Thx for sharing. Most countries would try to hide every single dark spot of their history, but Germany does the opposite. It requires a lot of courage and modesty to live like the Germans.
That's allways a question of the culture. Take the Mongols, for example. Temuin, is the national heo. He started wars of expansion, which costs 30 million lives in the end. Btw. That's a world record, for 700 years. And they celebrate him. That's of course not our mentality. But you see my point...
@@melchiorvonsternberg844 You are right. The measurement of "right and wrong" was different and the result of the war was also different. After the WW2 (until today) Germany was rebuilt by the Christian democratic party based on the human dignity. The human dignity was first mentioned in the jewish and the christian religion back during the roman empires. So the Germans attitude and their mindshift were completly changed after the war! But before the war, their attitude was not that far away from the mongols. The mongols won the war, their leaders brought them victory, power, wealth and pride. The winners write history! The mongols didn't really care about human dignity or did not even know about it, but instead their experiences taught them: if you r not strong enough, you will be eaten. I can see the similarities.
@@dhtran681 Whatever you think you recognize is built on thin ice that glosses over your inadequate history. The Christian Union has built nothing at all! She helped a Rhenish speratist come to power, who, as a comforting angel, gave absolution to the old Nazis and let them crawl under the wings of the party. Dieter Hallervorden, whose cabaret genius is often overlooked, once did a wonderful sketch about it. That bastard Adenauer would have been only too happy to betray us to the French after the First World War. He would have preferred it if France had annexed the area on the left bank of the Rhine and he would have become the governor in this area. This traitor should have been imprisoned for treason back in the Weimar era and the key should have been thrown away...
I live in a small City near Nuremburg and we have everywhere the Stolpersteine. Its really important to know what happened in the Past and to learn from it. My generation is responsible for ensuring that something like this doesn't happen again
I am for sure not proud of our german history in the years of WWII, but I am happy about the way we deal with it in schools or the day of rememberence of the wars, we call it Volkstrauertag (National Day of Mourning). Futhermore there are in a lot of german tows the "Stolpersteine", brass cobblestones that remember in front of some houses of jewish people that were deportet to concentration camps. And in that regard I am glad about our good relationship to the state of Israel. An extraordinary example for conciliation and friendship.
We do not very well, looking at the Nazis with the party AfD back in the parliaments and more and more coming. Many of us haven‘t learned from history or don‘t want to. The current government is asleep and is doing nothing to prevent the fascists from gaining strenght, on the contrary. It is actually very frightening.
When the bell was hung in 1934, the swastika was a symbol of national pride. A. H. was an honorary citizen of many cities and at the height of his popularity. After the war, many such symbols were destroyed or locked away. This also applies to this bell, which was not open to the public for many years. I assume it is an iron bell. At that time, bronze was used for cannons. After the war, many iron bells were replaced with bronze bells. These sound better. Therefore the bell has historical significance today.
The interpretation of "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" by Joseph Jänning(?) is simply wrong tho. It does NOT refer to german supremacy or whatever, that is simply what the Nazis misconstrued it as. The "Deutschlandlied/Lied der Deutschen" (national anthem) was written in 1841 during times of revolution in what is now Germany. The people were yearning for a unified German state and not a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies [...] like it has been before. "Deutschland über alles" refers to: A unified German state above everything (not everyone, otherwise it would've said "über alleN/alleM") else. It was meant as a rallying cry to put aside regional squabbles and to shift the collective focus towards a common goal.
60 something German here: In the 1970s when I went to school, we did talk about the Nazi atrocities, but in a rather detached way. I am aware that the teachers then were themselves born during WW2, as my parents were. And my maternal grandmother was an adult who herself who has even suffered through WW1 as a teen. So the history is in many families in Germany. I learned so much more about the rise of the Nazis in a series of very well made documentaries on public TV. This history is still quite close. These days is the time when the people affected directly by the Nazi regime are dead. The grandparents of the millenials are the ones who rebuild Germany after the war. I have an idea why folks in the UK are somewhat indifferent towards the history of the slave trade. It is too long ago. No, that's no excuse, but a point to consider.
I´ve have got one of this "Stolpersteine" in front of my neighbours house and I am the only one, who sometimes cleans it. I guess the others just want to leave the past behind. Whats absolutely ok! But it needs some people who still remember so that we never live in such a bad time like WW2!
Patriotism is a precursor to nationalism, which is a precursor to fascism. As a German, I am proud of not being patriotic and to have learned a lesson from history, which some other countries seem to have missed, and I'm ashamed to admit, a growing number of Germans seem to forget.
A different, but ultimately quite similar starting point: For example, it fills me with somewhat patriotic feelings when I see how Germany deals with its past, but not what led to these historical events. There is nothing wrong with loving your country. But it is dangerous to love it unconditionally and/or to completely base your own self-worth on patriotism.
17:52 yes that is one of the reasons. a second point, in my opinion is that, when we say: we are proud to be germans, the world cannot yet accept ithis and automatically sees us as nazis. so that we can show the same patriotism for our country (like every other country in the world) time still has to pass. the germaqn past still haunts us in the international perception
"i cant think of another atrocity as bad as this" dschinghis khan is definitly at the top together with this, and some other less known mass murders in countries that werent "really documented that much"
It is all about being able to be "responsible" for something, while acknowledging you're not "guilty" of that thing. Most continental European countries experienced occupation, and with that experienced both the heroics of the resistance of a few, the deep collaboration with the occupier of a few, as well as the fearful inaction of many. Even outside Germany that memory can make people feel "responsible though not guilty". The "Stolpersteine" ("Stumbling stones") are a great way of making local remembrance visible. Whenever I come across one I do take the few seconds to read the names and dates on them. Sometimes being "responsible" is as simple as that ... just taking a few seconds. I live in London nowadays, and I frequently pass through Liverpool street station, where there is the "Kindertransport" memorial. I always have mixed feelings about the "Kindertransport". The monument emphasises how great the UK was for taking on a few kids. It reminds me of Heidelberg where I lived for years. There, there is a house with in front of it 4 "Stolpersteine": 2 for the kids who made it out alive thanks to the "Kindertransport", one for the father who was incarcerated in a Concentration Camp 4 years earlier where he succumbed to hunger and intentional starvation, one for the mother who was caught in a razzia and sent to her death in Auschwitz. That perfectly captures the mixed feeling I have at Liverpool street. I wish the UK would have more "mixed feelings" monuments.
I said it before in another film contribution by you, the British are extremely patriotic, actually nationalistic, otherwise would there have been Brexit?
Why are there so many reactions on this video in the last few days? It seems the "creators" follow each others or one leading or they are stuck in the same algorithm.
Das ist mir auch schon bei anderen, vor mehreren Wochen aufgefallen. Das hat keinen schönen Beigeschmack. Das ist so, wie wenn ein Journalist, beim anderen abschreibt, ganz gleich, ob dass stimmt was der erste behauptet hat...
As for the church bells driving off demons - yeah, that is kind of true. I am German and Sorbian minority, and we Sorbs have mythical creatures like the water sprites and the tiny people, and we say that they are driven away by church bells. It surely has a historical background - with the Christianisation of the Germanic areas (driving away the Germanic deities and mythical creatures) and Christianisation and with that also the Germanisation of the Slavic areas (driving away Slavic deities and mythical creatures) in the area that today is known as Germany. Especially the water sprites are still very much alive in our culture - even resulting in a pop song that recently became so popular among Sorbs that it feels like a second Sorbian national anthem. (You can find it when you look for "Holaski - Wódny muž"). And when we sing the refrain out loudly: "For I am the water sprite" - it is somehow amazing how this mythical creature has survived in the hearts of the people for more than 1000 years of Christianisation and Germanisation. As for that specific Nazi bell - I agree it would be okay to keep it in a museum, but not as a sounding bell sending out its message.
A lot more native Americans were killed during the US expansion phase. Germans helped eradicating whole tribes in Africa. Etc, etc the list goes on. But at some point we _"overdid it"_ for lack of a better term. I believe what really sets the Holocaust apart from other atrocities, pogroms and genocides in the past is the literally engineered industrialization of the process.
I think you should check out the song "Deutschland" by Rammstein. In my opinion, it does a great job of capturing how Germans grapple with their country and how they want to be patriotic in their own way.
When these stumbling blocks were placed, as always some people groused that it wouldn't be nice to step on the names of the deported/killed people. To my mind the place on the ground is the complete right one because usualy you look on the ground while walking around and by this you can't overlook them.
You bring it to the point my friend. To my mind it's better to remeber of the bad times of the countries history to avoid its repitition. And if we like it or not, Hitler unfortunately belongs to Germanys history.
I like your thoughts about the past and in Germany we agreed to learn from the past, but seeing the political situation in Germany now, especially.this one party going up like a rocket, especially in th eastern part, I think we're going backwards and haven't learned or just forgotten or are sick and tired of being reminded...
My grandfather won't takk about the war and the time he was a war prisoner in Russia,it was only in school I learned that he was on the last train with war prisoners coming from. Russia. And it was so late as 2006(?), when the fotball World camps came to Germany, that we showed our national flag and were a kind of proud being a German. Political the question of delivering weapon like to Ukraine, is hot stuff or the slogans of the demonstrations nowadays origin in this time. You see, if you know your history , you find the signs.
I am half Brit and half German, born in 1948 in Germany, obviously not long after the war. Growing up, I have always felt the guilt of my forefathers. Never known whether my German family were in any way connected with the Holocaust although my Grandpa spent the last few months of the war in a concentration camp. Children at that time were told by their teachers to repeat what their parents spoke about at the dinner table and my youngest aunt (about 10 at the time) told enough about him for the Gestapo to arrest him the next day. She never got over it and drank herself to death. BTW, yes, 6 million people were killed in the camps, but not only Jews, also homosexuals, communists, catholic priests, Jehovah"s Witnesses, Roma and people with disabilities - these minorities are rarely spoken about.
In Norway we began also remembering the Juish people who were deported with something called 'Snublestein'-a sign ingraved in the pavement or at the wall. Or the operations against the Germans in Rjukan (destroying the heavy water) or Max Manus. The latest movie is about Narvik where with help of the Brits we had our first victory. Or sending a Christmas tree to London each year as a sign of gratitude that our king servived in London. But nowadays you Brits complain that the tree is so ugly😄
Waving the flag as a German: I ask every non-German to imagine German waving flags in front of their door, in store windows, on streets AND when their president or Kanzler drives by in a parade like the RF or the president of the US. And be honest and say how you feel deep inside and what your first thought is.
the thing with the flag is, except for football, if you go around with the german flag, MANY people will think your part of neo nazis, even if you just want to show love and loyalty towards your home country, like US with american flags etc
German here, Passing modern day moral judgement on people from the past is inherently flawed (in regards to statues or artifacts from the past). Also I fundamentally disagree with the activist lady who complains about the bells. Least, as she considers the sound of the bells to be nice, they do something good and sort of atone for their past. Same way I'd deal with statues of people we now find had wrong moral values, like slave owners etc. Indeed put some plaque on there or something and explain who they are and what they did and let the people who read it draw their own conclusions. Pretending morals don't change over time (child marriages which have been a-okay in the past anyone?) is silly and opens the door to repeat mistakes if they aren't shown why they are bad. One can only learn from the past if one doesn't censor it, which ironically would be akin to the book burning of the Nutsies. Oh regarding the Holocaust being the worst case of genoslide... well Russia under Staling might be at least equal there, but as he also won WW2 people tend to forget what the allies did as no no deed.
I respect your acknowledgement that a certain something is missing from the UK's attitude towards it's own past atrocities. As for me personally, one of the things that irks me the most is the British Monument to Bomber Harris in London... Nowadays it is commonly seen as a massive War Crime to bomb the hell out of civilians, yet during WW2 (though Germany did it too) the British took it to a whole other level of horror, i am referring to Operation Gomorrah.
I find that Britain should be proud of ending the atlantic slave trade for all nations that did partake in it and should build, if they have not already, statues or memorials that remind them of the atrocities they did partake in and ended for a good reason. Of cause they must acknowledge that it was cruel and the victims that came with it and admonish more about that, but they must also relearn to be proud that they took the initiative to end this cruel era of slave trade for the west. Even the colonialisation of africa, even if it was for the resources, ended most of the slave trade IN africa at that time through the new moral consensus that slavery is bad in the western countries. History is SO important to reflect upon and I don't appreciate the new era of feminism and the woke people trying to rewrite history and tell them in a false and idiotic way that only benefits their narrative. You can not change history as it's about things that happened and just because it rubs you the wrong way doesn't make it untrue or fake. I heard about how Brits nowdays don't even know or learn about their fight against the atlantic slave trade and slavery all in all in school anymore. (don't know if that is really the case but I heard from others about that it doesn't come up). All the narrative is about that "we are guilty because we partook in the slave trade and we must be ashamed of that" and not about the other end. Please tell me if this is right or wrong about what I wrote and how you see it.
Not a Brit, but I agree. If a country has something it can be proud of that should be remembered. There are so few reasons any country in the world can to be proud of anyway. Sadly often they are just as forgotten as they try to forget the bad parts of their history.
Wasn't the smart saying "Those who don't know hisotry, are doomed to repeat it?" (also currently not sure if the knowing history is the end of it like it's not like our goverments are particularry good at listening to their peaseants for a few )
Whan the holocoust memorial (by the mass of cubes in different sizes it should remember of the millions of jews, small and tall, thin and big) in Berlin was established at the beginning some teenagers (often foreigners who didn't think of its background) climbed on top of some cubes. The police immediately brought them down, gave them a warning and explaned the background.
The sound of church bells can be beautiful. You hear them every day, most people like them and have some (homely) emotional connection to them. BUT it changes if you know that the bell has text and symbols on them from the Nazi era. There are still holocaust survivors in Germany. Nearly everyone in Germany has a parent, grandparent, family or friends that died/suffered in the war. Hearing the sound of a Nazi bell, on a daily basis, might be hard for some. Also Nazis really love their symbolism. They use dog whistles and symbols to identify themselves. So taking away this bell is a good thing. Don't destroy it. Put in a museum with proper context.
I think the 'lack' of patriotism in Germany has more than one root. On the surface it's a reaction to the Third Reich with its extreme nationalism and flag-waving but imho there are additional factors: Germany was a 'late' nation state, the first real attempt was the founding of the Kaiserreich (the German Empire) in 1871. Before that Germany was a mess of small kingdoms, dukedoms, counties, lands ruled by clerics and so on. That means for a lot of people up to now the region they come from is more important than the whole. Centralisation led in both cases (the Empire as well as the Third Reich) to catastrophy, the two world wars. So there is more than one reason why Germany today is a federal republic with strong states (Bundesländer): to prevend an overbearing (nation) state and to take into account historical sensibilities of the different regions.
You just missed a hundredandtwenty years of german history, 50 years before WW2 and 70years after it;- two major wars with all it`s destruction and devastation and genocide and divided states and rebuilding, reconsidering and acknowledging our part to play in a worldsociety. ...ziemlich schwaches Kommentar!
Well said. Most Germans are not very proud to be German. But they are proud of the German regions they come from. The connection to the culture of their region is what gives them the feeling of "at home", not the entire country. So yes, WW two plays a role in the reasons of "not being very patriotic", but it is not the one and only reason. I know a lot of people who tend to say "Well, where you are born is a coincidence. You didn't do anything for it, you didn't fight for it and you didn't work for it. You are simply born. Somewhere in the world. So why should you be proud of it?" Some may agree, some won't, but I get their point and understand it.
@@Herzschreiber I would really like to know when this mind set and the attitude with regards to pride as something that is only attached to personal/individual achievements developed. Before or after the last war?
I totally agree with that. I live in Schleswig-Holstein and am proud to be a Holsteiner and love my state. Being German is more associated with ambivalence.
But then again there is the famous quote by Schopenhauer about national pride as a last resort for people without anything else to be proud of, and he died well before the Empire even existed...
On January 27th, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, the stumbling stones are cleaned by hand in many places by volunteer ordinary German citizens
That's exactly why we don't wave our flags around. Honestly, if I see a German flag outside of major soccer events, I stay away from the peope who display them.
I too think the bell should not ring. It may just sit there, with a plaque telling it's history - as long as it won't become a "landmark" for people from the far right to come see and "worship" it. The best place would be in a museum, though. We're not responsible for the past, but for what happens now and in the future. These things must not happen again, that's one major reason the memorials are there. The way I see it, waving or putting up the German flag might be a sign the person doing it is from the far right wing. Patriotism is frowned upon for the same reason. Germans who show patriotism might also be apologetic when it comes to the Hitler regime. So for me when I see a flag, I wonder if there is a soccer game, as you see a lot of flags during this time, or if the person showing the flag is (far) right wing and shows the flag to make a "statement". Equality in Germany... I think as society we are aware of that topic. I don't think we handle it better or worse than other nations - maybe the Scandinavians do better in that aspect, I don't know. There is inequality, discrimination, also racism going on in Germany. There's also a problem with the far right wing (including a strong dislike for "political correctness", or what is deemed as such) getting more popular, like in many other western countries, as well. People start to forget the past, or choose to forget.
In Norway are many bunkers of the Atlantic wall secured and made open for the public. They have put signs up and telling the story from that places. I guess we could learn from them. The more I‘m traveling the more I come across parts of our dark history. It‘s good to have places like that, because we don‘t really have elder generations left which could tell us about it.
Unfortunately: Although we spend a significant time in german school learning about the horrors, that the Nazis brought over europe, a lot of people still get cought by right extremists and their "easy solutions" to complex problems. Just look at the latest voting results, it's really a shame how little some people seem to have learned or how much has been forgotten. I hope this will change soon!
Considering the fact that these days there are again student "activists" chanting antisemitic slogans on German campuses, Jews being attacked while going about their business, Jews once more feeling unsafe in Germany, people calling for boycotts of Jewish businesses, all that throws a sobering light on the current state of things. All this culture of remembrance, was it all for naught, I wonder? The old question "How could they let that happen?" Is being answered right now, by nobody prohibiting those demonstrations, with the cheap argument of "protecting free speech", nobody seeing to it that those "activists" get thrown off their universities. Instead it is Universities that are the hotbed of antisemitism not just in Germany, but everywhere, right now. Everybody is aware of right wing neonazis. What surprised me ist the massive antisemitic push from the left.
Its completeley the right thing to remember the second world war and also to inform about the cruelty of the nazi regime. I agree 100%. But if you say there is no other crime that comes close to it. Check out the amount of people who got murdered by Mao or Stalin. And i am talking about people from their own countries. Mao is responsible for 45 million death of chinese people. Its simply, that the chinese dont talk about it in public and thats why "nobody" seems to care.
Probably you know English is a Germanian Language and maybe you know or not know why.(Also Interesting) But i´m sure you not know ,how to transform English back to basic german ore other way round. Why learn it the Hard way? Probably react to this Video "How anyone (including YOU) can read German"
Yeah, the trick is to own your history and learn from it. Avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Get better and fight the beginnings of fascism or similar ideologies. Stay vigilant.To be patriotic or proud of your country doesn´t mean you´re better than others. That´s a problem of nationalism which leads to devastation for a lot of people and places. It never creates.
Dude, no Nazi stuff should call you to the church. We're not hiding our past, but if we give our history a voice, it should not be the voice of the perpetrators, but the voice of the victims. And if they can't be heard anymore, we should speak on their behalf and for them......
Im irish but because iv been living in germany for 20years i have a flag on my profile name. Sometimes in (american) chatrooms people actually tell me to apologize for what i have done. They are talking about the nazi stuff. Its very odd why people still attack germans about this. As i said im not even german but i even get attacked for having the flag on my name.
I THINK MOST OF THE GERMANS NOT KNOWING THIS BELL EXIST.I BE TRUTHFULLY I'VERY NOT KNOWING THIS TO THIS TIME I SAW THIS REPORT ABOUT THIS LITTLE CHURCH HAS A BELL FROM THIS TIME LEFT OVER
Im just annoyed at this point. People act like those 12 years is all what Germany has to offer on history. Yea we did the thing i get it so what? Germany is not the only country with a dark past. Most countries are using those short 12 years as a massive shield to hide their own past and its pathetic.
Yeah I think that's a good way of putting it, we aren't patriotic as we learnt how quickly patriotism can turn into nationalism and further down hill. personally, I don't like patriotism at all cos of that and I am one of those being born disabled and if I had been born in the 30ies, I would surely not have reached the legal age to drive a car . So it is clear that everyone has a different perspective towards the time, and It worries me a lot that the right wing is getting so much attention in the recent years.
I find it strange, that you keep mentioning the Atlantic Slave Trade. Yes, the British were heavily involved in that at the beginning, but in the end, it wabsalso the British that ended it. Worldwide. In fact, british tax money went to paying the debt of "buying free" all slaves in the British Empire until, I think, 2015? 🤔 (Correct me if I'm wrong here) So yeah, there may not be as much public discussion about the British involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade, but at least the British took a big role in ending it. (Not even to mention their fight against the East African Slave Trade)...
Why is it strange? It's good that they were a driving force in ending it. But they still were involved in it before that. Good deeds don't make bad deeds vanish as well as bad deeds don't make good deeds vanish.
@@lamaglama6231 I agree. I can't say, why it felt strange to me. Maybe, the comparision caught me by surprise... 🤔 It feels different to me. Germany has a colonial past, too. So, maybe I simply expected a comparision between the respective colonial pasts instead of the Third Reich and the Atlantic Slave Trade. These two things seem so different to me. 🤷🏼♀️ I really can't say why it got me...
@@lamaglama6231 I think a lot of people suffer from perception bias! This happens when you don't think thoughts through, due to ignored facts or simple not knowin'. The first is that slavery was the absolute norm through all history and worldwide until 200 years ago. Judging historical events with our values and morals of the 21th century is completely inappropriate. The slave catchers and slave hunters were almost always African. Have you ever thought about why the major European powers didn't take control of Africa much earlier and not just after Napoleon in the 19th century? The answer is simple... Because the average life expectancy of a European in inner Africa was less than 1 year. If you lived on the coast you had maybe 2 years to live. That's why the slave trade was always in the hands of the Africans themselves. When the Europeans were able to cope with tropical diseases to some extent through new medicines, the slave trade was already eliminated, first by the British and later supported by the French. But our Arab friends happily carried on with it! Saudi Arabia officially ended slavery "already" in 1962. And the last country to officially break with slavery was Mauritania. And that was 1981. That's only 1 year, before Helmut Kohl came to power! But of course in reality this continues, with slavery, especially in Muslim states... Maybe next time you'll dig a little deeper before indulging in half-truths...
most of us was really back in time. most live in woods. when the world like rome had really deep culture and stuff. we had nothing than the woods, swamps and our tribe if we are patroits - we're directly called nazi, its like no differnce.. we're not in the position to show we're proud to be germans in the way of "showing our flags and do everything in german colors" we're proud of what we re because of what we are. will be never be understood. like a white guy can never feel what a black guys feel in rascim stuff. (just in country seeing aspect) thats why most of us are so open minded and you'll find germans ALL OVER the world. because we're love the world and the ppl in here. even if politics go straight in right direction again. even if we should know better :/
The memorial plates. They are everywhere. Never forget. One outside the home of each Jew. The new generation of Germans own their history. It wasn’t pretty.
For me as a german, I don't feel responsible for the atrocities done by my ancestors, but I feel responsible for preventing it to happen again.
Why do you say that you don't feel responsible? Everybody who posts a comment is not responsible
because they are too young...
If you don't accept any responsibility you're not trustworthy when you say that you want to be responsible to prevent this again.
Better you don't say anything because it sounds fake....
Might be cause most of us weren't even born back then? Why taking responsibility for ancestors you never even met?
@@ofsailorsandsirens Well, my Grandparents were around back then. My mother was a child during WWII. I've met them. It's not like it happened in the dark ages.
@@klausschumacher7126 I think, you did not get the point.
@@augustiner3821 who cares what you think....
When you were describing your opinion on how to deal with your country's dark past you basically described the same mindset most Germans have. Don't try to hide it, but also don't celebrate it. Be brutally honest about it. So we may never forget and never repeat it. We're not responsible for what our ancestors did but we are responisble to never repeat their mistakes.
one could say that the German people were the first victims of Nazi oppression. Of course there was much collaboration, but i argue that this came mostly from fear, the mantle of legitimacy that the conservative party provided them after the election and the meticulous Gleichschaltung the Nazis enacted to control or dissolve every institution the Germans had, while brutally eradicating every opposition. To shift the discourse over to individual responsibility is a disgusting process pitched and guided by the winner loser dynamic of the war and is not grounded in reality. Many of those really responsible, fled, died or even got reinstated into power. Scientists involved in the Holocaust were deported and worked for the allied countries. While those kids and grandkids of those who just tried to stay afloat in a world of war are ascribed some guilt?
Well said.
Did work out very well during Coronna- Right? 😂😂
@@micmarley14 what the fck is "Coronna-Right" ?
@@micmarley14 also jewish people can not show their faith openly anymore without being harassed. at least in the bigger cities. sadly
Thank you for this reaction! Greetings from Germany!
You are a very compassionate man. Thank you very much for your insightful reaction to this video. There is one aspect I am really proud of in this country, which is the history lessons I had in school that reflected the past in a way it had to be.
Love from Germany and all the best to you for the new year.
P.S.: Just FYI, there have been similar -- and even higher -- numbers of people killed in the former Soviet Union, in China and in Cambodia.
True about the red terror in the ussr in times of Lenin and Stalin, like the holodormo in the today ucraine region and the great purge. the chinese "great leap forward" in the rule of Mao . the terror and murder in cambodia under the KhmerRrouge and Pol Pott. the japanese killed millions of chinese in WW2 and the turkish killed close to a million aremenians in WW1. but never was one attrocity so well organised as the holocaust, the sad and horrible efficiency to kill a turn to ashes thousands in a few hours like "industrial process" (as it is sometimes described) as done in the extermination camps like Auschwitz. the only thing close in my opinion was the murder of hundreds of thousands of japanese people in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, attacks that did not influence the war (which ultimately was the attack of the soviets on japan at the Manchurian front and the landing on some of the northern islands convincing the japanese leaders war was lost)
That's why we usually don't wave our flag and we are silently proud to be germans, as in the name of germany and the german people the worst so much harm was done. Never to forget, never to allow it to happen again anywhere in the world.
cleaning the grave stones is a great exercise in humility… Great. I wish we had been made to do something like this when I was in school! Then again, my class went to Auschwitz and we prepared for it with student and teacher presentations… I remember the total shock of being there on a sunny day with green grass and a blue sky when - although I knew so much about the Nazi regime already, all was in my mind in black and white. It was a real awakening to see it “in color“ to be reminded of people then living there “in color“…
Germany is pretty impressive to handle this part of history
17:30 In short: yes.
It's also not that we think waving out flag about and being "proud" (that word has a bit of a different connotation in German) of our country specifically is a thing to be cautious of, like many Americans apparently assume (at least on UA-cam). It's that we find it weird in general. Many of us still love our country as our home. But fervent patriotism is weird to us, just in general.
The people, who I know that they are proud of Germany, tend to work in some way to make Germany better, like help homeless people, take part in cultural groups (music, dance etc), help with integration, etc. Patriotism in Germany is often more proactively bringing the country forward and less throwing around symbols or phrases
Don‘t even talk about the American custom to ‚pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…….‘
This is very fascist-adjacent to any German who is confronted with that
As state in the video in the past it was "Deutschland über alles in der Welt" .. this had been perverted in negating the right of existence for things not being seen as german (inside germany). Sadly there are still some stupid people with this mindeset.
And it is only a small step from love for one thing to hate for the other things. And this I need to see not only in germany but in lots of other places in the world.
Germans proudly waving around the German flag aside from international sport events always raise a sense of alarm to us fellow Germans because those showing national pride via the flag are mostly Neonazis
What I like about the Stolpersteine the most, it involves everyone. Mostly the people themselves who live now in a house do the research, who lived there and what happened to them, than reach out for the artist Gunter Deming and founding the stone privatly. Second is in some streets you see so many "Stolpersteine" it makes the dimension visible. And the sentence from the older people who lived back in the days "We didn't know..." feels so implausible.
Like your videos! ❤
I‘ve seen an interview with Gunther Deming where he said that the people do mostly step around the Stolpersteine out of respect because it feels wrong to walk over someone’s gravestone, but because the brass was designed to be walked over to keep it shining, he now has to make time to clean them so they can still be read…
@@lynnm6413 A lot of us clean the stones, especially on the 9th November you can see everywhere people cleaning the Stolpersteine.
@@carmenamm9899 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
There are some who think it is wrong that the stumbling blocks are placed in the ground.
People would look down on the stumbling blocks and signs should be placed at eye level, but there is a special reason why the stumbling blocks are placed in the ground.
You have to bow down or kneel down to read the inscriptions.
So everyone has to make more or less a gesture of respect.
Great reaction. It's still a sensitive topic. At least for some groups. Just have a look on the dislikes on this original video. There are many people who want history stay untouched and not mentioned.
Of course, a minority, but we have to watch out. And we do!
There's a great video 'the fallen of WWII'. Includes a comparison to other wars in history. As you mentioned.
'Easy german' would be a nice channel for your entertainment
I'm an 33 years old mother from Germany and it feels like we talked sometimes to much about our dark history. I can barley remember any other topic in History class all around my 13 years until I finished school. Maybe it is because it wan't only Historie Class where we talked about it. But it is important to talk about our past. I am glad, that the bell doesn't ring anymore. But I think it should handle over to a museum. I really love the "Stolpersteine". Even my little son with his 3.5 years ask me about the "Stolpersteine". I tried my best to explain it as kid friendly as possible. And when we now walk by a stumbling stone, he is like "oh Look mommy. Another one." he than mostly give the stone a really friendly soft touch before we can continue the walk. I never told him to do it, it is just what he wants to do. I wanna cry every single time, when he does it. And we should mention, all the change, all the work and all the things we do in response of our history happend in the time of the last 100 years. That's not that long.
And I would like to apologize for my poor writing skills in English. I always have difficulties because our German grammar is much more complex and complicated.
Wow. Dein Kleiner ist ja echt süß. Auch wenn er sich dessen derzeit wohl nicht bewusst sein wird, hoffentlich behält er dieses Mindset. Das ist wirklich eine schöne Geste. Was hast du ihm denn erzählt, dass er das macht? :-)
Ja, ich habe auch das Gefühl, dass wir manchmal zu viel drüber reden in der Schule - und manche Leute dadurch so abstoßen, dass wir sie vielleicht sogar an Extreme verlieren. Aber solche Stolpersteine, sowas wie Gedenkstätten Ausschwitz und co - sowas ist sehr wichtig.
@@m.v.1594 Danke ich hoffe auch, dass er ein wenig so bleibt. Naja er weiß großbm, was es heißt wenn jemand stirbt bzw wenn wir sgen, dass jemand gestorben bzw tod ist, da er den Tod seiner Uroma mitbekommen hat und da auch am trauern war. Ich hatte ihm damals gesagt "Das sind Stolpersteine, die erinnern uns daran, dass hier Menschen gelebt haben, die zu unrecht und viel zu früh durch einen sehr bösen Mann gestorben sind." er hatte dann noch nachgefragt ob dafür nur 1 Mann oder viele Männer schuld dran waren. Hab ihm dann erklärt, dass ein böser mann das so wollte und einige einfach das getan haben, was er gesagt hat. Tiefer musste ich ihm das dann zum Glück nicht erklären. War für ihn dann scheinbar schlüssig und joa.
On May 23, 2024, the Federal Republic of Germany will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
75 years of the Basic Law, 75 years of SOCIAL market economy, 75 years of democracy, 75 years of a federal state, 75 years of a republic, 75 years of a welfare state, 75 years of a constitutional state. 67 years of membership in the European Union and its predecessor organization, 79 years of peace in Germany. 75 years of a perspective state. 75 years of partners in the West and NATO. 75 years of reconciliation with its neighbors. 5 times elected to the United Nations Security Council.
20 years of non-intervention in Iraq war.
As the former West German politician Egon Bahr in Bonn once said in a calm voice:
"There is no need to be afraid of this Germany. It has become a different Germany." ❤
Ich hoffe du setzt dich noch einmal etwas mehr mit der Geschichte auseinander.. Wir haben weder den ersten noch zweiten Weltkrieg angefangen und sollten absolut stolz sein.. Letztendlich gab es einen großen Unterschied zwischen Nazis, Deutschen und Wehrmacht Soldaten.
Außerdem war die BRD das erste Deutschland was nicht ein wahres Deutschland war sondern einfach nur ein vom Westen und Nato besetzter Ort.. Die alliierten wollten im zweiten Weltkrieg das deutsche Volk ausrotten und anstatt es mit bomben zu tun.. Taten sie etwas anderes.. Deutschland Zwischen den Jahren 1871- 1914 und auch mehr oder weniger von 1933-1940 war eine absolute hoch Zeit (Ohne damit die Nazi Verbrechen zu entschuldigen)
Menschen verstehen nicht warum die deutschen so etwas grausiges böses tun konnten und hitler Folgten.. Dabei Ist es absolut simpel.. Wenn du kein essen auf dem Tisch hast, kein Wasser und dir mit dem Geld den Arsch abwischen kannst.. Dann interessiert es dich nicht wen du unterstützt.. Hauptsache dieser jemand holt dich aus dieser Krise raus.. Stell dir vor wie dunkel die Situation in Deutschland war dass die Menschen ihre Rechte Freiwillig Abgaben.. Dann sehe ich solche Komplett historisch unaufgeklärten Menschen die alles in unserer großen Geschichte verteufeln und "Nazi" nennen. Ihr solltet euch schämen.. So viele generation haben ihr Blut hier für gegeben.. Das Deutsche Volk wurde ausgepresst und verraten doch wir haben niemals aufgegeben und konnten uns zweimal gegen einen Planeten verteidigen und fast gewinnen.. Das was die Briten und Franzosen in 100 Jahren mit Massen Sklaverei Geschafft haben, haben die deutschen in 40 Jahren geschafft mit harter eigener Arbeit und gesunden Handel.. Du weißt sicher noch nicht mal das die deutschen niemals Sklaverei führten.. Selbst in den kolonien nicht.. Wir investierten sogar in diese.
Der Fakt dass Frankreich und Britannien das Welt Reich der Welt weiß machen wollten das dieses kleine Deutschland mit einem bruch Teil von ihren kolonien die Welt erobern wollte.. Ist absolut lächerlich. Der zweite Weltkrieg wurde genau wie der erste von den Briten angefangen welche neidisch auf unsere Größe waren.. Sie haben keine guten Intentionen gehabt und wollten uns ausmerzen.. Weil die deutschen es schafften sich aus der schlimmsten Krise, aus der Asche, an die Spitze zu arbeiten.. So ein Volk kann man nicht brechen. Außer man verändert das Volk.. Was genau der Fall war in der BRD und ab 1990 auch in Ostdeutschland. Die deutschen werden umgezogen sich und ihre Geschichte zu hassen.. Außerdem wurden wir Amerikanisiert.. Ich möchte noch einmal anmerken das ich weder dem Osten noch Westen zustimme... Beides dieselbe Medaille. Fakt ist aber das wir jetzt nur noch eine puppe der Amis sind.. Umgeschult und verzogen.
Wenn ich dürfte würde ich meine Meinung erläutern ;-)
Wäre nett wenn sie mir ihre Zeit geben..
Ich bin ein absolut stolzer deutscher und möchte mein Volk erhalten..
Manche Menschen sagen jetzt: "Aber wir - wir sind doch alles die gleichen Menschen"
Wir sind zwar alle Menschen aber was soll das für ein Argument hast? Wir sind nicht alle die gleichen Menschen.. Das ist nunmal ein Fakt und das ist auch gut so.. Sonst würde die Welt ziemlich grau aussehen. Menschen sind unterschiedlich.. Es gibt rassen.. Steht sogar in dem Grundgesetz. Das ist auch nichts schlechtes.. Im Gegenteil.. Jede Rasse hat ihre wunderbare Kultur.. Und Mentalität. Manche hingegen sind produktiver als andere.. Dafür haben andere eine tiefere kultur. Das ist einfach so.. Welche Menschen waren es nochmal die sich zweimal aus der Asche gearbeitet haben an die Spitze? Die deutschen.. Man sollte unter sich bleiben, weil man das eigene Volk erhalten möchte.. Die Tradition, kultur und Sprache.. Mentalität. Welche logischerweise zerfällt wenn andere Menschen mit komplett anderen Hintergründen hier her kommen. Früher konnten sich nicht mal wirklich deutsche untereinander unterhalten, was heute zwar immer noch gängig ist, aber weniger wird. Wir haben schon so viel Kultur und Mentalität verloren. 1 - 3% Migration in einem Land ist immer normal.. Aber nicht wenn es 20% sind welche sich überhaupt gar nicht anstrengen möchten oder können. Welche unser sozial System ausnutzen.. Dann höre ich jemand sagen: "wir sind doch alles Menschen".. Was ist mit unseren obdachlosen? Arbeitslosen? Alten Menschen.. Welche ihr Leben lang gearbeitet haben und getan haben.. Wie die unzähligen deutschen Generationen vor uns. Die haben für das Land gekämpft und sich eine bessere Zukunft erwünscht.. Was war mit der Pest? Den Weltkriegen? Hat das deutsche Volk jemals aufgegeben? Haben wir nicht immer weiter gearbeitet und unglaubliche Persönlichkeiten hervor gebracht? Und während die alten deutschen dass erreicht haben, das einstige große Deutschland, haben sie nochmal schnell die wichtigsten Erfindungen der neu Zeit geschaffen und unglaubliche Entdeckungen in Medizin vollbracht. Heute werden wir umgeschult damit wir unseren Stolz verlieren und die altdeutschen preußischen Tugenden.. Welche uns so stark gemacht haben. Da die Amis unser Potenzial fürchten.. Weil wir nur ihre puppe bleiben sollen.
Ich fürchte das dieses Volk mit seinen Errungenschaften und großer Geschichte, verschwinden wird. Was aktuell passiert.
Denn Fakt ist.. Wir sind nicht alle gleich und Menschen unterschätzen das Böse in anderen Menschen. Auch wenn viele Einwanderer hierher kommen um neue Möglichkeiten zu finden, ist dies letztendlich nicht unser Problem.. das Problem des deutschen Volkes.. Sondern das Problem bzw. Das versagen des Volk und Landes dieser Einwanderer. Weil diese sich eben nicht solch ein Reichtum durch harte fleißige Arbeit oder Kompetenz aufbauen konnten, bzw. Solche Dichter und Denker produzieren konnten wie das deutsche Volk.
Darunter auch: der erste Milliardär der USA, Erfinder des automobil, des Periodensystem, des Buchdruck, des Modernen Schulsystem und mit unter die reichsten Familien der Welt.. Wie die Rothschilds. Welche ebenfalls deutsche vorfahren haben.
Dafür setzte ich mich ein.. Für Deutschlands Interessen und das Wohlbefinden meiner Leute. Danach sehen wir weiter.
Man möchte seine eigene Ethnie erhalten und die Wunder welche diese Menschen produzierten. Ich trete jedem Menschen erstmal mit Respekt gegenüber aber bin absolut für mein Volk.. Da ich es einfach so liebe.. Diese 2000 Jahre an Geschichte welche in mir und uns steckt.. In den 2000 Jahren wo sich das deutsche Volk als eines der größten auf diesem Planeten etablieren sollte. Egal was kam.. Die plage, der 30 jährige Krieg.. Die beiden Weltkriege.. Der Versuch von den alliierten das deutsche Volk zu vernichten im zweiten Weltkrieg.. Doch niemals haben wir aufgehört.
Ich bin stolz auf unsere Errungenschaften und unglaublichen Mut und die einstige entschlossenheit des deutschen Volkes. Seien sie stolz auf ihre Herkunft. Ich Ich sage Deutschland den Deutschen.
Ich wünsche ihnen einen schönen Abend.
Hoffentlich war das nicht zu viel weil wenn man vom ganz anderen Spektrum kommt ist es immer ein wenig.. Schwierig zu reden.
Doch dafür setzte ich mich ein.. Für Deutschlands Interessen und das Wohlbefinden meiner Leute.
Wir waren einst ein Land der Dichter und Denker. Der Wissenschaft, des Handwerks, Der Kraft und des Stolzes! Heute sind wir ein Land der Vollidioten und verblendeten. Möge Tradition, Geschichte und tiefe Kultur in unser Land zurückkehren. Wir haben die Welt geformt mit unseren europäischen Brüdern.
Deutschland, aufrichten!
Gott mit uns..
ua-cam.com/video/Pjc0tGq8noM/v-deo.htmlsi=pLWLRRrwoOsJTakV
@@frontgamet.v1892 Your comment is indiscriminate, thoughtless and arrogant.
@@Kiranbela438 Wie das mein guter Herr? So wie ich aus dem Fenster schaue sehe ich gebrochene Leute.. Eine gebrochene Gesellschaft wo die Familie bricht.. Die ihre Wurzeln hassen und welche umgeschult werden.. Eine positive Veränderung spricht absolut nichts entgegen aber diese "Veränderungen" bedeutet das Ende von 2000 Jahren an großer Geschichte wofür Generationen nach Generationen alles gaben.. Eine Veränderung die nur eines bewirken soll: Umschulung und Niedergang der altdeutschen - Preußischen Tugenden.. Unseres Stolzes und unserer Nationalität.
Unsere gesamte Vereinigung basiert auf Nationalismus.. Das war überhaupt der Grund warum unser Land funktioniert.. Die deutschen wollten einen Deutschen Staat. Damals hatten wir keinen Deutschen Staat.. Heute haben wir zwar einen Staat aber kein Volk.. Geschweige denn ein vereinigtes. Nehme man eins von den beiden Dingen weg.. Dann vergeht all das was uns groß machte und letztendlich auch der Welt half.. Ein stolz der Menschen bindet und wütend machen kann falls man uns schlecht behandelt.. Einen stolz wodurch wir die größten Erfindungen und Entdeckungen der Moderne machten.
Es ist wohl kein Geheimnis zu sagen dass dieser Verfall oder eben Veränderung ohne Grund passiert.
Ich habe einmal ein interessantes Video für sie.. Falls sie möchten.
ua-cam.com/video/BuM-FLzDK8k/v-deo.htmlsi=A3rvIFFR3SBhanxI
ua-cam.com/video/GmBRrpPfW-A/v-deo.htmlsi=APNqMrwJ6obLHDsJ
Ich persönlich erhalte gerne was hunderte deutsche Generationen Aufbauten.. Eine wunderschöne Erkenntnis dass diese Menschen für sie und mich gestorben sind und gekämpft haben und wir treten sie.. Das ist letztendlich was deutsch sein ausmacht.. Wie unser Kaiser einst sagte: "Immer sein bestes geben, auch wenn es keinen Dank erfährt. Wer das lernt und kann, der ist ein glücklicher. Freier und stolzer. Immer schön wird sein Leben sein. Wer misstrauisch ist begeht ein Unrecht gegen andere und schädigt sich selbst. Wir haben das Recht jeden Menschen für gut zu halten, solange er uns nicht das Gegenteil beweist "
-Kaiser Wilhelm II
ua-cam.com/video/F2P3SPM23E4/v-deo.htmlsi=SfoBl5OJG2mMlTzI
Fine comment, fine list, but I miss something very important: 35 years of a united East and West.
I, as a German, would like to say a few things. I can't speak for every German, only for myself.
In history lessons, we learn about no other era as precisely as the Nazi period. We watch documentaries or visit concentration camps and are given comprehensive information. It hurts and it's disturbing. I remember a documentary in which a 14-year-old told how she was forced to kick a Jewish classmate until she was dead. Stories like that have an impact on you. And I think that's a good thing.
We learn what people are capable of. We learn what it leads to if you follow blindly and don't say no in time. We learn what it leads to when you tolerate the intolerant. We also learn what nationalism leads to.
This develops a humble sense of identity. I am proud not to be proud of being German. I know what kind of people are proud of it.
And I don't believe that this humble way is only the right way for Germany. How many millions of people died because of Chinese and Russian dictators? How many people were enslaved by Spain and Great Britain? The history of all countries is deeply evil and there is little to be proud of. We should humbly try to grow together and build the future of a united, peaceful humanity instead of being proud of the old, the broken.
Your words are like a poem to me! Very well selected and beautifully presented. Thank you very much! And yes, as a German I feel the same.
Its notg a verman question. Its s human question...besides Poland...france. netherlands. Etc helped.....it is,what it is...and now? Ukra ine. Israel.....not much learned
Cleaning the Stolpersteine is quite common for students at university too.
the bell belongs to a museum
Especially since it shows how this ideology infiltrated every village and every church.
The part of our national anthum (is not sung anymore) "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (Germany above all) is due to a time when Germany existed of a lot of several states that were united in the german Reich. So Germany above all meant, lets unite in one country - Germany.
We Germans, born after the war, are not responsible for what happened, but we are responsible for what will happen! Much love from Germany!
Thanks for this reaction! My dad told me he travelled a lot in the early 70s, he was in France and the UK and he told me that some people were very hostile and condescending to him becaus he is german! He was born in 1948 so he was definitely not guilty of the nazi crimes!
You can put that benchmark, back to 1936. Or do you think, that a 9 year old child, did any Nazi- crimes?
As a germa( born in ´95,) i think, we are not responsible for what happend while the nazi regime, but as Inherits, we are responsible that things like that never happen again
In Germany every Student in 9-10 class, goes with his class
in a Konzentration Camp.To learn about the History.
Not every student and not at all times, since the foundin' of the republic... I went...
Never was, but one day I will... my grandparents where almost denn ro a Camp but they were warnd and could flee
About waving the German flag:
your assumption plays a significant role in it. But there are more reasons about that.
One may be seen in the fact that Germany as a united nation is comparatively young. It happened in 1871 when the second German empire was founded at the end of a war between German states led by Prussia and France. That German Empire had a different flag (hrizontal stripes of black, white and red). That was intentional because during a failed revolt in 1848/49, German revolutionaries wanted to establish a democracy and they were gathering under a different flag - the one we use today (black-red-gold). Prussia took a dominating place in the 2. German Empire. However it wasn't popular everywhere in Germany for a couple of reasons. And since that empire was an association of several states led by aristocrates - kings, dukes, counts - people kept identifying with their local statehood at least quite as strongly as with the empire.
The dire situation of Germany at the end of WWI was provoking a another revolution. A successful one this time resulting in Germany becoming a democratic republic with a written constitution. For the first time the flag representing a democratic Germany (black-red-gold) was made the official one. Now Germany became a kind of federation of countries again - and still many Germans were rather identifying with their local country more than with the entire German Republic.
The Nazis - despising democracy - abolished the black-red-gold flag quickly and replaced it with their own one with the swastika in 1933.
After 1945, both German states - the FDR (West Germany) and the GDR (East Germany) - returned to the black-red-gold flag - however the GDR with additional symbols inside it (a pair of compasses and a hammer). Most of the former countries inside Germany were kept although some were united to become bigger units of administration (eg. Baden-Württemberg combining three former countries). Hence that spirit of regional identification versus national/federational identification still persists until today.
After a few years in which Germany was really struggling hard to get on its feet again neighbouring countries - particularly France - decided to avoid isolating Germany and to start first steps to more cooperation and integration within Western Europe. Those efforts led to the formation of the EEC and the EU now. Together with strong support from the USA by the Marshall plan it helped Germany to rebuild itself and reestablish as a strong economy and stable democracy. Hence many Germans identify themselves quite as much as Europeans as they do as Germans.
German patriotism often shows differently. We are less about symbolism (partially because Germany was seperated for most of it's history and also because of the nazis focus on symbols) and more about making the country even better. Political engagement, participating in cultural unions, helping less fortunate people, helping with public services, hell even just paying the taxes to help other Germans etc. Generally just giving back to the community is often done due to a feeling of being proud of the country and wanting to represent it. I guess that is also part of German efficiency: trying to make the country better rather than throwing around big words
The way 'patriotism' is expressed in countries like the US or UK is often considered nationalistic (with a exclusiv/negativ connotation) by Germans. For us it just feels way over the top and yes, that's definetly influenced by our own history.
Examples
pledge to the flag (US)
Union Jack plastering on groceries (UK)
PS
I won't even start to talk about the Tories, but their 'path' is dark and scary.
nationalisem is allways negative ... and stupid at best
Just have discovered your channel. I really like your videos and your thoughtfull, while relaxed approach. :)
In my hometown of Kyritz in Brandenburg, there are also some Stolpersteine.
I can't use the Autobahn between Frankfurt/Main and Darmstadt any longer, because it was opened in 1936 ...
Finally the part of our national anthum, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" (Germany above everything) has got nothing to do with the Nazis. In the 1800s Germany consisted of 300 little states. Hofmann von Fallersleben wrote this text because he had a big desire for a united Germany (=not every little state but the union of all is important). By the way this part of the german anthum is not sung any more due to the past.
There is also one stumbling stone in the UK (London). It's where Ada van Dantzig worked. She moved home (Rotterdam/Netherlands) in 1939 and was killed in Auschwitz 1943.
I really like your highly nuanced outlook on the bell. Basically that's what many Germans feel as well. Keep the bell, unchanged, as part of history but also place it in a museum. With a plaque explaining the origin of the bell, why the bell was silenced, but not destroyed. It's a difficult topic.
Not everything from the Nazi era was inherently evil or abolished afterwards because it still had rousing and potentially positive qualities. For example, the torch being carried by an athlete to light the olympic flame at the regular Olympic Games was originally introduced by the Nazis in the 1936 Olympics. Yet despite its origins it wasn't banished afterwards.
Another example is the origin of Fanta, the soft drink. It also originated from the German local production facilities of the Coca Cola company in the early 1930's when Coca Cola HQ in America embargoed Germany and didn't send any more basic cola syrup to Germany. Germany's production managers created this artificial flavor to at least use some of the components they still had in storage. While the original Fanta was nothing like the Fanta we know today it's origins definitely go back to the Nazi era in Germany.
The question is, how far do we go in eradicating everything that had its origins in that era, possibly even developed by the Nazis? How much do we want to hide the origins? Or do we acknowledge the origins yet re-examine the object or concept if it holds any value to us despite the origins?
This is a difficult decision to make, and I certainly don't envy anyone forced to make such decisions.
Edit: your question about Germans lack of patriotic displays. Yepp, you pretty much summed it up. Because we've been taught that there isn't a clear distinction between patriotism and nationalism. Both share a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram of discernible characteristics. Yet it is so easy to loose sight of the patriotic and to step into the nationalistic part, often unknowingly and subconsciously.
The only time you will see Germans display the German flag proudly is at the soccer world cup, or maybe the Olympics. Basically any sports events where politics are reasonably kept out of the situation is the only time Germans feel it's safe to be proud of showing the German flag.
Edit 2: the number of Stolpersteine/ stumbling stones has risen to over 75000 by now since that documentary. Munich's Jewish Council however criticized that there are memorials on the ground on sidewalks, believing it to be disrespectful to the dead that people could walk over them, stepping on them. Thus Munich decided to remove the stumbling stones from the ground and placing plaques on the walls of the buildings with the same info instead. I am a bit ambivalent about that decision. On the one hand, yes, it *could* be disrespectful. However, they are so obviously different from other cobblestones around them that they capture the attention of passersby far better than plaques on buildings at eye height. In addition to that the stones require people to bow their heads if they want to read the inscriptions, resulting in an automatic humble, thoughtful pose. Anyone I know won't usually step on something that is quite obviously different from the surrounding area. Those who do don't give a damn about showing respect in any case, whether they are stones in the sidewalk, or a plaque on a wall. As such while I accept the decision of Munich I do not agree with their reasoning.
I also find it a sad decision to rip the Stolpersteine out…it‘s not nearly as informative to have a plaque on some building, because as a usual inhabitant I don‘t have time to read all the ‚touristy‘ information about any building and the 100 year history…
But even if I don‘t take the time to read the names and dates, the Stolpersteine are unique and will remind you of the Shoa even if you are busy running an errand.
Oftentimes at special days of rememberance you can see flowers, stones and little candles placed next to them, too..
Pretty sure that doesn‘t happen next to the plaques
Ithink, you had a lot of courage to react on this video🤩
The “problem” with Britain’s atrocities is the same as with Germany’s colonial atrocities, they happened far away at places most citizens haven’t visited or heard of, the holocaust happed directly were we live now and so remembrance and acknowledgment are “easier”
The Great (Irish) Famine hits a little closer to home then...
I think the major difference between British and German empire is that the former was much larger and lasted longer. British attrocities happened way after WWII (see Chagos Archipelago) or the british war crimes committed in the 1950ies during the Kenya Emergency) while the colonies of the German Empire were "handed over" to other empires after WWI. It took Germany over 100 years to acknowledge the Herero and Namaqua genocide.
Every country who was powerful misused its power at one time of its history.
My opinion is, that anyone who is taking pride to belonging to some nation should acknowledge the whole history (the good and the bad). And yes, Germans are proud of their country, we just don't use flags to show our pride.
about 10:20
intresting point for a german born 1965..... glad to hear from a british citizen. To make it clear; i AM not A german revisionist
but i also do not want to feel guilty for things i havent done
I had turkish neighours since childhood
was in kindergarden with a black GI boy
and allways had friends of all nations
and met aswholes of ALL colures, nations and cultures
Owning up is a virtue, after all
Hey. I am from germany. I was born in 1968. I do not have to do something with this dark past of germany but I know, like the most german people about our duty from all that hapening. But that does not mean that we are not patriotic. You can see many german flags during a soccer turnament. Well, maybe we are not so patriotic that we will do anything for our country without thinking about the sencse. Maybe we have learn a lot? I think yes, and that is good so! By the way.... do you know the good old british show "Dinner for one "? Funfact: this black and white movie will be showed every new years eve in german tv in the original language. And many germans are watching it every year. If you never heard about it please look for it and I will be happy about a reaction from you. Many lovely greatings from Duisburg in Germany!!
So you want to tell me your parents weren't involved? Otherwise you very well have something to do with that time.
@@miskatonic6210 Hallo. I think you understand my Comment a little bit wrong. Maybe my english is not so good. Sorry for that. Now, sure, my grandfather was a german soldier in WW2. He told me a lot of this dark time. Now I know my part of beeing part of the german culture. But this is the past, and I think in the present Germany have done many things to work with its past and to make sure that something like WW2 never happens from Germany again. Once again, sorry when my comment could be understood false!!
Thx for sharing. Most countries would try to hide every single dark spot of their history, but Germany does the opposite.
It requires a lot of courage and modesty to live like the Germans.
That's allways a question of the culture. Take the Mongols, for example. Temuin, is the national heo. He started wars of expansion, which costs 30 million lives in the end. Btw. That's a world record, for 700 years. And they celebrate him. That's of course not our mentality. But you see my point...
@@melchiorvonsternberg844 You are right. The measurement of "right and wrong" was different and the result of the war was also different.
After the WW2 (until today) Germany was rebuilt by the Christian democratic party based on the human dignity. The human dignity was first mentioned in the jewish and the christian religion back during the roman empires. So the Germans attitude and their mindshift were completly changed after the war!
But before the war, their attitude was not that far away from the mongols.
The mongols won the war, their leaders brought them victory, power, wealth and pride. The winners write history! The mongols didn't really care about human dignity or did not even know about it, but instead their experiences taught them: if you r not strong enough, you will be eaten. I can see the similarities.
@@dhtran681 Whatever you think you recognize is built on thin ice that glosses over your inadequate history. The Christian Union has built nothing at all! She helped a Rhenish speratist come to power, who, as a comforting angel, gave absolution to the old Nazis and let them crawl under the wings of the party. Dieter Hallervorden, whose cabaret genius is often overlooked, once did a wonderful sketch about it. That bastard Adenauer would have been only too happy to betray us to the French after the First World War. He would have preferred it if France had annexed the area on the left bank of the Rhine and he would have become the governor in this area. This traitor should have been imprisoned for treason back in the Weimar era and the key should have been thrown away...
I live in a small City near Nuremburg and we have everywhere the Stolpersteine. Its really important to know what happened in the Past and to learn from it. My generation is responsible for ensuring that something like this doesn't happen again
It would take a lot of time to make a new bell. If it was just silenced, its tone would be missing in the composition.
I am for sure not proud of our german history in the years of WWII, but I am happy about the way we deal with it in schools or the day of rememberence of the wars, we call it Volkstrauertag (National Day of Mourning). Futhermore there are in a lot of german tows the "Stolpersteine", brass cobblestones that remember in front of some houses of jewish people that were deportet to concentration camps. And in that regard I am glad about our good relationship to the state of Israel. An extraordinary example for conciliation and friendship.
👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Greetings from Germany
We do not very well, looking at the Nazis with the party AfD back in the parliaments and more and more coming. Many of us haven‘t learned from history or don‘t want to.
The current government is asleep and is doing nothing to prevent the fascists from gaining strenght, on the contrary.
It is actually very frightening.
When the bell was hung in 1934, the swastika was a symbol of national pride.
A. H. was an honorary citizen of many cities and at the height of his popularity.
After the war, many such symbols were destroyed or locked away.
This also applies to this bell, which was not open to the public for many years.
I assume it is an iron bell. At that time, bronze was used for cannons.
After the war, many iron bells were replaced with bronze bells. These sound better.
Therefore the bell has historical significance today.
The “Stolpersteine” campaign is very successful.
School classes explore the history of local Jewish families in the 1930s and '40s.
It wasn't a symbol of national pride. It clearly already had a racist and antisemitic meaning during that time. Your comment is quite euphemistic...
The interpretation of "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" by Joseph Jänning(?) is simply wrong tho. It does NOT refer to german supremacy or whatever, that is simply what the Nazis misconstrued it as.
The "Deutschlandlied/Lied der Deutschen" (national anthem) was written in 1841 during times of revolution in what is now Germany. The people were yearning for a unified German state and not a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies [...] like it has been before. "Deutschland über alles" refers to: A unified German state above everything (not everyone, otherwise it would've said "über alleN/alleM") else. It was meant as a rallying cry to put aside regional squabbles and to shift the collective focus towards a common goal.
60 something German here: In the 1970s when I went to school, we did talk about the Nazi atrocities, but in a rather detached way. I am aware that the teachers then were themselves born during WW2, as my parents were. And my maternal grandmother was an adult who herself who has even suffered through WW1 as a teen. So the history is in many families in Germany.
I learned so much more about the rise of the Nazis in a series of very well made documentaries on public TV. This history is still quite close.
These days is the time when the people affected directly by the Nazi regime are dead. The grandparents of the millenials are the ones who rebuild Germany after the war.
I have an idea why folks in the UK are somewhat indifferent towards the history of the slave trade. It is too long ago. No, that's no excuse, but a point to consider.
I´ve have got one of this "Stolpersteine" in front of my neighbours house and I am the only one, who sometimes cleans it. I guess the others just want to leave the past behind. Whats absolutely ok! But it needs some people who still remember so that we never live in such a bad time like WW2!
Patriotism is a precursor to nationalism, which is a precursor to fascism. As a German, I am proud of not being patriotic and to have learned a lesson from history, which some other countries seem to have missed, and I'm ashamed to admit, a growing number of Germans seem to forget.
A different, but ultimately quite similar starting point: For example, it fills me with somewhat patriotic feelings when I see how Germany deals with its past, but not what led to these historical events.
There is nothing wrong with loving your country. But it is dangerous to love it unconditionally and/or to completely base your own self-worth on patriotism.
Meanwhile the WW2 is so far away. If there is a bell it may help for remembrence.
17:52 yes that is one of the reasons. a second point, in my opinion is that, when we say: we are proud to be germans, the world cannot yet accept ithis and automatically sees us as nazis. so that we can show the same patriotism for our country (like every other country in the world) time still has to pass. the germaqn past still haunts us in the international perception
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.
"i cant think of another atrocity as bad as this" dschinghis khan is definitly at the top together with this, and some other less known mass murders in countries that werent "really documented that much"
There are a few atrocities even from modern times worse than german holocaust (just from numbers alone).
It is all about being able to be "responsible" for something, while acknowledging you're not "guilty" of that thing. Most continental European countries experienced occupation, and with that experienced both the heroics of the resistance of a few, the deep collaboration with the occupier of a few, as well as the fearful inaction of many. Even outside Germany that memory can make people feel "responsible though not guilty". The "Stolpersteine" ("Stumbling stones") are a great way of making local remembrance visible. Whenever I come across one I do take the few seconds to read the names and dates on them. Sometimes being "responsible" is as simple as that ... just taking a few seconds.
I live in London nowadays, and I frequently pass through Liverpool street station, where there is the "Kindertransport" memorial. I always have mixed feelings about the "Kindertransport". The monument emphasises how great the UK was for taking on a few kids. It reminds me of Heidelberg where I lived for years. There, there is a house with in front of it 4 "Stolpersteine": 2 for the kids who made it out alive thanks to the "Kindertransport", one for the father who was incarcerated in a Concentration Camp 4 years earlier where he succumbed to hunger and intentional starvation, one for the mother who was caught in a razzia and sent to her death in Auschwitz. That perfectly captures the mixed feeling I have at Liverpool street. I wish the UK would have more "mixed feelings" monuments.
Patriotism is such a bizarr concept for me. I always say: "I´m not proud to be a German, I am glad to be a German".
Some "easy German" Canal maybe good for you to watch " Biergarten" is interesting 🤔
There is also a concentration camp (Dachau branch) cemetery in my village. We also cleaned them as students. There were also Nazi graffiti.😢
I said it before in another film contribution by you, the British are extremely patriotic, actually nationalistic, otherwise would there have been Brexit?
well i never saw a demon while bells were ringing, so i would say it works
Why are there so many reactions on this video in the last few days?
It seems the "creators" follow each others or one leading or they are stuck in the same algorithm.
Das ist mir auch schon bei anderen, vor mehreren Wochen aufgefallen. Das hat keinen schönen Beigeschmack. Das ist so, wie wenn ein Journalist, beim anderen abschreibt, ganz gleich, ob dass stimmt was der erste behauptet hat...
As for the church bells driving off demons - yeah, that is kind of true. I am German and Sorbian minority, and we Sorbs have mythical creatures like the water sprites and the tiny people, and we say that they are driven away by church bells. It surely has a historical background - with the Christianisation of the Germanic areas (driving away the Germanic deities and mythical creatures) and Christianisation and with that also the Germanisation of the Slavic areas (driving away Slavic deities and mythical creatures) in the area that today is known as Germany. Especially the water sprites are still very much alive in our culture - even resulting in a pop song that recently became so popular among Sorbs that it feels like a second Sorbian national anthem. (You can find it when you look for "Holaski - Wódny muž"). And when we sing the refrain out loudly: "For I am the water sprite" - it is somehow amazing how this mythical creature has survived in the hearts of the people for more than 1000 years of Christianisation and Germanisation.
As for that specific Nazi bell - I agree it would be okay to keep it in a museum, but not as a sounding bell sending out its message.
A lot more native Americans were killed during the US expansion phase. Germans helped eradicating whole tribes in Africa. Etc, etc the list goes on.
But at some point we _"overdid it"_ for lack of a better term.
I believe what really sets the Holocaust apart from other atrocities, pogroms and genocides in the past is the literally engineered industrialization of the process.
I think you should check out the song "Deutschland" by Rammstein. In my opinion, it does a great job of capturing how Germans grapple with their country and how they want to be patriotic in their own way.
When these stumbling blocks were placed, as always some people groused that it wouldn't be nice to step on the names of the deported/killed people. To my mind the place on the ground is the complete right one because usualy you look on the ground while walking around and by this you can't overlook them.
..and U can't remove the thought of it, whenever it sounds... agreed. Send it to a museum.
You bring it to the point my friend. To my mind it's better to remeber of the bad times of the countries history to avoid its repitition. And if we like it or not, Hitler unfortunately belongs to Germanys history.
I like your thoughts about the past and in Germany we agreed to learn from the past, but seeing the political situation in Germany now, especially.this one party going up like a rocket, especially in th eastern part, I think we're going backwards and haven't learned or just forgotten or are sick and tired of being reminded...
Every ring is a warning.
My grandfather won't takk about the war and the time he was a war prisoner in Russia,it was only in school I learned that he was on the last train with war prisoners coming from. Russia. And it was so late as 2006(?), when the fotball World camps came to Germany, that we showed our national flag and were a kind of proud being a German. Political the question of delivering weapon like to Ukraine, is hot stuff or the slogans of the demonstrations nowadays origin in this time. You see, if you know your history , you find the signs.
I am half Brit and half German, born in 1948 in Germany, obviously not long after the war. Growing up, I have always felt the guilt of my forefathers. Never known whether my German family were in any way connected with the Holocaust although my Grandpa spent the last few months of the war in a concentration camp. Children at that time were told by their teachers to repeat what their parents spoke about at the dinner table and my youngest aunt (about 10 at the time) told enough about him for the Gestapo to arrest him the next day. She never got over it and drank herself to death.
BTW, yes, 6 million people were killed in the camps, but not only Jews, also homosexuals, communists, catholic priests, Jehovah"s Witnesses, Roma and people with disabilities - these minorities are rarely spoken about.
In Norway we began also remembering the Juish people who were deported with something called 'Snublestein'-a sign ingraved in the pavement or at the wall. Or the operations against the Germans in Rjukan (destroying the heavy water) or Max Manus. The latest movie is about Narvik where with help of the Brits we had our first victory. Or sending a Christmas tree to London each year as a sign of gratitude that our king servived in London. But nowadays you Brits complain that the tree is so ugly😄
The problem with patriotism is complex: patriotic ceremonies usually are captured by speakers one cannot really agree.
Waving the flag as a German: I ask every non-German to imagine German waving flags in front of their door, in store windows, on streets AND when their president or Kanzler drives by in a parade like the RF or the president of the US. And be honest and say how you feel deep inside and what your first thought is.
the thing with the flag is, except for football, if you go around with the german flag, MANY people will think your part of neo nazis, even if you just want to show love and loyalty towards your home country, like US with american flags etc
18.04. yes Bro
German here,
Passing modern day moral judgement on people from the past is inherently flawed (in regards to statues or artifacts from the past).
Also I fundamentally disagree with the activist lady who complains about the bells. Least, as she considers the sound of the bells to be nice, they do something good and sort of atone for their past.
Same way I'd deal with statues of people we now find had wrong moral values, like slave owners etc. Indeed put some plaque on there or something and explain who they are and what they did and let the people who read it draw their own conclusions.
Pretending morals don't change over time (child marriages which have been a-okay in the past anyone?) is silly and opens the door to repeat mistakes if they aren't shown why they are bad.
One can only learn from the past if one doesn't censor it, which ironically would be akin to the book burning of the Nutsies.
Oh regarding the Holocaust being the worst case of genoslide... well Russia under Staling might be at least equal there, but as he also won WW2 people tend to forget what the allies did as no no deed.
love your broad sight....remember my invitation to germany
I respect your acknowledgement that a certain something is missing from the UK's attitude towards it's own past atrocities. As for me personally, one of the things that irks me the most is the British Monument to Bomber Harris in London... Nowadays it is commonly seen as a massive War Crime to bomb the hell out of civilians, yet during WW2 (though Germany did it too) the British took it to a whole other level of horror, i am referring to Operation Gomorrah.
I find that Britain should be proud of ending the atlantic slave trade for all nations that did partake in it and should build, if they have not already, statues or memorials that remind them of the atrocities they did partake in and ended for a good reason. Of cause they must acknowledge that it was cruel and the victims that came with it and admonish more about that, but they must also relearn to be proud that they took the initiative to end this cruel era of slave trade for the west. Even the colonialisation of africa, even if it was for the resources, ended most of the slave trade IN africa at that time through the new moral consensus that slavery is bad in the western countries.
History is SO important to reflect upon and I don't appreciate the new era of feminism and the woke people trying to rewrite history and tell them in a false and idiotic way that only benefits their narrative. You can not change history as it's about things that happened and just because it rubs you the wrong way doesn't make it untrue or fake.
I heard about how Brits nowdays don't even know or learn about their fight against the atlantic slave trade and slavery all in all in school anymore. (don't know if that is really the case but I heard from others about that it doesn't come up). All the narrative is about that "we are guilty because we partook in the slave trade and we must be ashamed of that" and not about the other end.
Please tell me if this is right or wrong about what I wrote and how you see it.
Not a Brit, but I agree. If a country has something it can be proud of that should be remembered. There are so few reasons any country in the world can to be proud of anyway.
Sadly often they are just as forgotten as they try to forget the bad parts of their history.
Wasn't the smart saying "Those who don't know hisotry, are doomed to repeat it?" (also currently not sure if the knowing history is the end of it like it's not like our goverments are particularry good at listening to their peaseants for a few )
Whan the holocoust memorial (by the mass of cubes in different sizes it should remember of the millions of jews, small and tall, thin and big) in Berlin was established at the beginning some teenagers (often foreigners who didn't think of its background) climbed on top of some cubes. The police immediately brought them down, gave them a warning and explaned the background.
Ww dont grapple. We accept and educate next generations.
The sound of church bells can be beautiful. You hear them every day, most people like them and have some (homely) emotional connection to them.
BUT it changes if you know that the bell has text and symbols on them from the Nazi era. There are still holocaust survivors in Germany. Nearly everyone in Germany has a parent, grandparent, family or friends that died/suffered in the war. Hearing the sound of a Nazi bell, on a daily basis, might be hard for some.
Also Nazis really love their symbolism. They use dog whistles and symbols to identify themselves. So taking away this bell is a good thing. Don't destroy it. Put in a museum with proper context.
I think the 'lack' of patriotism in Germany has more than one root. On the surface it's a reaction to the Third Reich with its extreme nationalism and flag-waving but imho there are additional factors: Germany was a 'late' nation state, the first real attempt was the founding of the Kaiserreich (the German Empire) in 1871. Before that Germany was a mess of small kingdoms, dukedoms, counties, lands ruled by clerics and so on. That means for a lot of people up to now the region they come from is more important than the whole.
Centralisation led in both cases (the Empire as well as the Third Reich) to catastrophy, the two world wars. So there is more than one reason why Germany today is a federal republic with strong states (Bundesländer): to prevend an overbearing (nation) state and to take into account historical sensibilities of the different regions.
You just missed a hundredandtwenty years of german history, 50 years before WW2 and 70years after it;- two major wars with all it`s destruction and devastation and genocide and divided states and rebuilding, reconsidering and acknowledging our part to play in a worldsociety. ...ziemlich schwaches Kommentar!
Well said. Most Germans are not very proud to be German. But they are proud of the German regions they come from. The connection to the culture of their region is what gives them the feeling of "at home", not the entire country. So yes, WW two plays a role in the reasons of "not being very patriotic", but it is not the one and only reason. I know a lot of people who tend to say "Well, where you are born is a coincidence. You didn't do anything for it, you didn't fight for it and you didn't work for it. You are simply born. Somewhere in the world. So why should you be proud of it?" Some may agree, some won't, but I get their point and understand it.
@@Herzschreiber
I would really like to know when this mind set and the attitude with regards to pride as something that is only attached to personal/individual achievements developed. Before or after the last war?
I totally agree with that. I live in Schleswig-Holstein and am proud to be a Holsteiner and love my state. Being German is more associated with ambivalence.
But then again there is the famous quote by Schopenhauer about national pride as a last resort for people without anything else to be proud of, and he died well before the Empire even existed...
On January 27th, the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, the stumbling stones are cleaned by hand in many places by volunteer ordinary German citizens
That's exactly why we don't wave our flags around. Honestly, if I see a German flag outside of major soccer events, I stay away from the peope who display them.
Does anyone remember Ivanhoe? What happened to the the nice, black haired girl?! Yup, the English should think about that too.
Ah... Elisabeth Taylor...
I too think the bell should not ring. It may just sit there, with a plaque telling it's history - as long as it won't become a "landmark" for people from the far right to come see and "worship" it. The best place would be in a museum, though.
We're not responsible for the past, but for what happens now and in the future. These things must not happen again, that's one major reason the memorials are there.
The way I see it, waving or putting up the German flag might be a sign the person doing it is from the far right wing. Patriotism is frowned upon for the same reason. Germans who show patriotism might also be apologetic when it comes to the Hitler regime. So for me when I see a flag, I wonder if there is a soccer game, as you see a lot of flags during this time, or if the person showing the flag is (far) right wing and shows the flag to make a "statement".
Equality in Germany... I think as society we are aware of that topic. I don't think we handle it better or worse than other nations - maybe the Scandinavians do better in that aspect, I don't know. There is inequality, discrimination, also racism going on in Germany. There's also a problem with the far right wing (including a strong dislike for "political correctness", or what is deemed as such) getting more popular, like in many other western countries, as well. People start to forget the past, or choose to forget.
In Norway are many bunkers of the Atlantic wall secured and made open for the public. They have put signs up and telling the story from that places. I guess we could learn from them. The more I‘m traveling the more I come across parts of our dark history. It‘s good to have places like that, because we don‘t really have elder generations left which could tell us about it.
Unfortunately: Although we spend a significant time in german school learning about the horrors, that the Nazis brought over europe, a lot of people still get cought by right extremists and their "easy solutions" to complex problems.
Just look at the latest voting results, it's really a shame how little some people seem to have learned or how much has been forgotten. I hope this will change soon!
and as I mentioned in another reaction video: a 14 year old that fluent speaking English
cause we in Germany start learning english with 8Jears old
Considering the fact that these days there are again student "activists" chanting antisemitic slogans on German campuses, Jews being attacked while going about their business, Jews once more feeling unsafe in Germany, people calling for boycotts of Jewish businesses, all that throws a sobering light on the current state of things. All this culture of remembrance, was it all for naught, I wonder? The old question "How could they let that happen?" Is being answered right now, by nobody prohibiting those demonstrations, with the cheap argument of "protecting free speech", nobody seeing to it that those "activists" get thrown off their universities. Instead it is Universities that are the hotbed of antisemitism not just in Germany, but everywhere, right now. Everybody is aware of right wing neonazis. What surprised me ist the massive antisemitic push from the left.
As only for me, of course I don´t wave german flags. It´s history
Its completeley the right thing to remember the second world war and also to inform about the cruelty of the nazi regime. I agree 100%. But if you say there is no other crime that comes close to it. Check out the amount of people who got murdered by Mao or Stalin. And i am talking about people from their own countries. Mao is responsible for 45 million death of chinese people. Its simply, that the chinese dont talk about it in public and thats why "nobody" seems to care.
Others have a dark past too dont brand us.....
Probably you know English is a Germanian Language and maybe you know or not know why.(Also Interesting)
But i´m sure you not know ,how to transform English back to basic german ore other way round.
Why learn it the Hard way?
Probably react to this Video "How anyone (including YOU) can read German"
Yeah, the trick is to own your history and learn from it. Avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. Get better and fight the beginnings of fascism or similar ideologies. Stay vigilant.To be patriotic or proud of your country doesn´t mean you´re better than others. That´s a problem of nationalism which leads to devastation for a lot of people and places. It never creates.
Du meintest sicher Chauvinismus...
Dude, no Nazi stuff should call you to the church. We're not hiding our past, but if we give our history a voice, it should not be the voice of the perpetrators, but the voice of the victims. And if they can't be heard anymore, we should speak on their behalf and for them......
Im irish but because iv been living in germany for 20years i have a flag on my profile name. Sometimes in (american) chatrooms people actually tell me to apologize for what i have done. They are talking about the nazi stuff. Its very odd why people still attack germans about this. As i said im not even german but i even get attacked for having the flag on my name.
jepp that´s the reason why we don´t wave our flags often :) it´s a close step vom patriotism to nationalism
I THINK MOST OF THE GERMANS NOT KNOWING THIS BELL EXIST.I BE TRUTHFULLY I'VERY NOT KNOWING THIS TO THIS TIME I SAW THIS REPORT ABOUT THIS LITTLE CHURCH HAS A BELL FROM THIS TIME LEFT OVER
Im just annoyed at this point. People act like those 12 years is all what Germany has to offer on history.
Yea we did the thing i get it so what? Germany is not the only country with a dark past. Most countries are using those short 12 years as a massive shield to hide their own past and its pathetic.
Yeah I think that's a good way of putting it, we aren't patriotic as we learnt how quickly patriotism can turn into nationalism and further down hill. personally, I don't like patriotism at all cos of that and I am one of those being born disabled and if I had been born in the 30ies, I would surely not have reached the legal age to drive a car
. So it is clear that everyone has a different perspective towards the time, and It worries me a lot that the right wing is getting so much attention in the recent years.
I find it strange, that you keep mentioning the Atlantic Slave Trade. Yes, the British were heavily involved in that at the beginning, but in the end, it wabsalso the British that ended it. Worldwide. In fact, british tax money went to paying the debt of "buying free" all slaves in the British Empire until, I think, 2015? 🤔 (Correct me if I'm wrong here)
So yeah, there may not be as much public discussion about the British involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade, but at least the British took a big role in ending it. (Not even to mention their fight against the East African Slave Trade)...
Why is it strange? It's good that they were a driving force in ending it. But they still were involved in it before that. Good deeds don't make bad deeds vanish as well as bad deeds don't make good deeds vanish.
@@lamaglama6231 I agree. I can't say, why it felt strange to me. Maybe, the comparision caught me by surprise... 🤔 It feels different to me. Germany has a colonial past, too. So, maybe I simply expected a comparision between the respective colonial pasts instead of the Third Reich and the Atlantic Slave Trade. These two things seem so different to me. 🤷🏼♀️ I really can't say why it got me...
@@lamaglama6231 I think a lot of people suffer from perception bias! This happens when you don't think thoughts through, due to ignored facts or simple not knowin'. The first is that slavery was the absolute norm through all history and worldwide until 200 years ago. Judging historical events with our values and morals of the 21th century is completely inappropriate. The slave catchers and slave hunters were almost always African. Have you ever thought about why the major European powers didn't take control of Africa much earlier and not just after Napoleon in the 19th century? The answer is simple... Because the average life expectancy of a European in inner Africa was less than 1 year. If you lived on the coast you had maybe 2 years to live. That's why the slave trade was always in the hands of the Africans themselves. When the Europeans were able to cope with tropical diseases to some extent through new medicines, the slave trade was already eliminated, first by the British and later supported by the French. But our Arab friends happily carried on with it! Saudi Arabia officially ended slavery "already" in 1962. And the last country to officially break with slavery was Mauritania. And that was 1981. That's only 1 year, before Helmut Kohl came to power! But of course in reality this continues, with slavery, especially in Muslim states...
Maybe next time you'll dig a little deeper before indulging in half-truths...
most of us was really back in time. most live in woods. when the world like rome had really deep culture and stuff. we had nothing than the woods, swamps and our tribe
if we are patroits - we're directly called nazi, its like no differnce.. we're not in the position to show we're proud to be germans in the way of "showing our flags and do everything in german colors"
we're proud of what we re because of what we are. will be never be understood. like a white guy can never feel what a black guys feel in rascim stuff. (just in country seeing aspect)
thats why most of us are so open minded and you'll find germans ALL OVER the world. because we're love the world and the ppl in here. even if politics go straight in right direction again. even if we should know better :/
The memorial plates. They are everywhere. Never forget. One outside the home of each Jew. The new generation of Germans own their history. It wasn’t pretty.
What history is pretty? It is all about butchering one another, isn't it?