After the collapse of the Third Reich, many Nazi officials quietly continued their careers in the new Federal Republic of Germany. Their diligence in the service of Hitler’s ideology was matched only by their fervor in supporting the new democratic order. High ranking Nazi military court judges continued to run trials, professors previously loyal to the regime carried on teaching and journalists who had worked on state propaganda wrote for newspapers as though they had been lifelong democrats. While this gave the young state political room for manoeuvre, it created a moral void that could not be filled. Democracy was being built, at least in part, by its enemies.
This ruthless reckoning with the early history of the Federal Republic coincides with the nation’s 70th anniversary. Willi Winkler’s spellbinding and densely factual account describes how West Germany became a successful nation despite being deeply conflicted. He also examines the contribution of ‘reformed’ Nazis to that success. A parable about guilt, shame, reconciliation and coming to terms with the past, this important work is a must-read for anyone who wants to fully understand modern Germany.
