Facing the Nazi Past: United Germany and the Legacy of the Third Reich

by Bill Niven

Facing the Nazi Past examines how the communist East viewed the events of these years very differently from West Germany during the Cold War. Following the unification of Germany, these contrasting memories of the Third Reich have contributed to a new perspective on this period of German history. Facing the Nazi Past explores the developments and debates that were symptomatic of this shift towards a more open confrontation with the past, such * the image of resistance to Hitler in united Germany
* changes at concentration camp memorial sites since 1990
* the commemoration of 8 May 1945 in 1995
* how the revelations in Goldhagen's startling book Hitler's Willing Executioners triggered new discussion
* the plans for the construction of a Holocaust Memorial. Anyone; students, scholars or interested readers, who are involved in the study of European history, will find this an enthralling and informative read.

Genres: History

290 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2001

About the author

Bill Niven is professor of contemporary German history at Nottingham Trent University and the author of many works on twentieth-century German history, including Facing the Nazi Past and The Buchenwald Child. He lives in Edwalton, UK.

Reviews

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A focused study of how Germany has dealt with its WWII history. It's an interesting topic and a valuable addition to WWII studies, and as a public historian I was fascinated by the analyses of books and exhibits over time. It's a really cool way to get into the public's perception, and I'd like to see more "histories of public history" like this.

I will say that it can be a bit dry and list-of-facts-ish, but that's only an occasional problem, and I'm sure any WWII enthusiast has dealt with much worse. A larger problem for me is how often Niven sounds condescending. It's one thing to narrate public perception, it's another thing to judge that public and tell them whether or not they've "succeeded" at how they feel. You can talk about gaps in knowledge or unfounded propositions without telling people which books they ought to read or handwringing about whether they'll react properly to a certain exhibit. You, as a historian and/or public historian, are not the arbiter of public emotion. You're providing an educational and experiential service, not graciously bestowing knowledge for which they should all be grateful. But I digress.