There's a new exhibit at the German History Museum in Berlin, exploring the way that everyday Germans participated in National Socialism. Unfortunately, it's only running through February 6th.

From the New York Times story by Michael Slackman:



Nazi Kitch

"This show, “Hitler and the Germans: Nation (Volksgemeinschaft) and Crime,” opened Friday. It was billed as the first in Germany since the end of World War II to focus exclusively on Adolf Hitler. Germany outlaws public displays of some Nazi symbols, and the curators took care to avoid showing items that appeared to glorify Hitler. His uniforms, for example, remained in storage.

Instead, the show focuses on the society that nurtured and empowered him. It is not the first time historians have argued that Hitler did not corral the Germans as much as the Germans elevated Hitler. But one curator said the message was arguably more vital for Germany now than at any time in the past six decades, as rising nationalism, more open hostility to immigrants and a generational disconnect from the events of the Nazi era have older Germans concerned about repeating the past."

Multikulti is Dead--now that's depressing news

anti-mosque agitation

Now that Angela Merkel has declared German multiculturalism "dead" , Germans can begin to openly grapple with the issue currently facing all western European nations. For the Germans, the touchy subject of Muslims (particulary Turkish) integration is shadowed by the fate of the last major religious minority to find itself accused of living off the majority. A recent poll indicates that 30% of Germans believe their country is being "overrun by foreigners". In these times of fiscal belt-tightening, outsiders who appear to be a drain on the social state will be feeling increasing pressure. I worry about Turkish-Germans who have grown up in Germany--they will never be accepted as "German" they way they could embrace an American non-ethnic identity.