HIST 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Sonderweg, Southern Soul, National Memory
Document Summary
War and national memory : germany and japan. Wars important on how fought and how remembered. Memory of war in germany deep soul searching for many decades; German historians obsessed with hitler and nazi significance 1. Germany sonderweg or special path" refers to germany has more diversions compared to other european nations. Germanys failure to develop economically, socially, politically explains victory of totalitarianism and hitler. Nazism seems inevitable outcome for german national character and culture. Critics hold that no such thing as sonderweg of germany history because no norm exists to judge. In terms of concrete politically and economics at the time rather than culture and national character. Used to think people were brainwashed from above with propaganda but looking at social history, discovering system was manipulated from below by people selfish, idealistic reasons. Ordinary germans enthusiastic about holocaust but violent anti-semitism from before period made it key national identity.
