"German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Dachau next Tuesday, making her Berlin’s first leader to travel to the former Nazi concentration camp." http://www.timesofisrael.com/merkel-to-become-first-german-leader-to-visit-dachau/ Dave
It's good that she has at last made Germany face up to this. Originally for political prisoners - the communist father of another Jewish friend was sent there and eventually shot , early 1930s. She and her mother managed to escape to England where she trained as a nurse/ midwife.
Strange choice of words - that a visit from an official means that an entire country faces up to something. What about all the other Germans who visit each year?
Yes, sorry, I should perhaps have said she's showing an official confirmation of the national feeling. But why has no politician done this already? I confess to a strong prejudice here, my children are ashamed of me.
Dave, I think it good that Merkel is visiting Dachau, but please do not Forget that it is also coming up to a very important National Election. Regards Tom
I've no idea if she is, if was there an actual demand from the electorate that she go. I assume that Germans, like other nationalities, would continue to visit Dachau with or without this event. She certainly has said a bit about the Holocaust already, you only have to google; perhaps it's not enough. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9630121/Angela-Merkel-unveils-gipsy-war-dead-memorial.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269343/Holocaust-Memorial-Day-2013-Our-duty-victims-Nazis-says-Angela-Merkel.html I think this is significant mainly as a political gesture. (In itself It would mean as much to those outside the political sphere and those not personally affected/interested, as say Blair's apology for the Irish Famine did to the majority of people now living in the UK.) Perhaps I'm too cynical about what these things actually achieve and how seriously others might view them. If someone personally affected thinks it's significant so be it, good enough. (But as Tom has reminded us, election time is looming.) Far better that individuals visit, and that individuals pass on what they've learned, than a day of carefully choreographed photo opportunities and a 5 minute soundbite.
dbf - I know from my reading that many Germans were aware of what was going on and hated it, but were afraid to oppose. I hadn't read your 2nd link before, which seems to show AM to be sincere, but as others have said, an election in the offing. There's still a very open wound, among many groups.
Yes, that's a given on this forum. Amongst them are German families, relatives of those who were sent to camps. Not mentioned as often, sometimes overlooked, the other groups of victims being much more numerous. Nevertheless details are important. Some Germans neither need to be shown when to face up to things, nor instructed on the conditions under the Third Reich. On the whole I remain cynical about the real significance of any political gesture, no matter how well intended. No doubt there will be further opportunities, and more calls in the future, to do similar things.
Dave, The press that I have read has been pretty muted on the subject. It is probably picked up more by the Foreign Press. As Diane quite rightly pointed out, many loyal Germans were also sent to the camps for many so called reasons. Regards Tom
good day dave 500,posted.yesterday.03:38pm.re:chancellor merkel to visit dashau consentration camp.it would only be to attract votes in the coming election.in 1992 german chancerlior helmut kohl turned down a request to visit the concentration camp,seven years earlier us president Ronald regan also refused to visit saying he and kohl agreed that it was unnecessary.as for the germans who have visited the death houses,it salves there conscience.i am of the opinion we let the dealers in death off to easily.its a matter of opinion.thanks for posting.regards bernard85
Would Germans eg who were born after WW2, or who were too young to remember any of it, need to "salve their consciences" - are they culpable in any way, merely by accident of birth?
As someone who lost family members in the Holocaust (probably 10-15, but we'll never know for certain, because many of the records have been lost and the cause of death for some of my relatives who died 1933-39 is not known), I applaud this visit. I am immensely disappointed that previous Chancellors thought such a visit unnecessary (or perhaps politically embarrassing), but I would hope and strongly suggest that every future German leader make such a visit as a constant reminder to the nation of what took place on their soil, and with political approbation. Marc
Some of the post war German Chancellors, some related links. Konrad Adenauer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Adenauer http://german.about.com/cs/culture/p/adenauer.htm Willy Brandt http://www2.facinghistory.org/Campus/Memorials.nsf/0/DC396F572BD4D99F85256FA80055E9B1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Brandt Walter Scheel http://www.jta.org/1970/11/10/archive/scheel-visits-auschwitz-32nd-anniversary-of-crystal-night-marked-in-west-berlin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Scheel Helmut Schmidt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Schmidt http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/gedenken-in-auschwitz-koehlers-heikler-besuch-am-ort-des-schreckens-a-338669.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3DHelmut%2BSchmidt%2Bauschwitz%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den http://wissen.spiegel.de/wissen/image/show.html?did=40680413&aref=image035/E0523/PPM-SP197704900240029.pdf&thumb=false Helmut Kohl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Kohl 1989 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-11-15/news/8901310354_1_death-camp-chancellor-declaration 1995 http://articles.latimes.com/1995-07-09/news/mn-22136_1_auschwitz-victims Gerhard Schroeder's speech on 60th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/schroeder.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4204465.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Schröder
good day dbf.19august,2013,08:03am.(p13)re:would germans eg,who were born after ww2 or were too young to remember any of it.need to salve their conscience merely by accident of birth,having read your post.wy do so many germans visit the the death camps.its hardly an entertaining day out.remenber those murdered in these camps were there simply by accident of birth.thank you for a very interesting post.regards bernard85
I'd think they go for the same reasons a person from any other nationality goes. Quite, and my point is that no one should even be judged, let alone imprisoned or killed, based on the circumstances of birth. All the best D
Many things add to our thoughts. I grew up in a military family in as much as my father and several uncles were regular servicemen. One of my fathers friends in the 1950s was 'Fritz' an ex Luftwaffe aircrewman shot down and made POW here, married an English girl and lived here. An educated and well mannered man who went on to become managing director of a large company. My years in Germany were good - did I come across nationalism? - Once when an old drunk set about us with an idea that we were all of the family B'stard. The young and that included German soldiers were probably the least milateristic in Europe - maybe they detested national service, most had the 'days to do are getting few mentality'. The outlook of the German people around where I lived - to work hard, play even harder and live well. Can we find organizations leaning to the right in Germany? Yes, we can find a sizable anti monarchist organization here - does that tar all with the same brush?
Thanks, DBF, for pointing out that the initial story (that Merkel was the first German Chancellor to visit a Concentration Camp) was poorly worded. I assumed, presumably like many, that this meant a German Chancellor had never before visited ANY Concentration Camp. I feel much better for knowing this. Marc
Yes it meant she'd be the first to go to Dachau; Auschwitz was likely seen a more symbolic for the others. Adenauer the first Chancellor of West Germany was actually imprisoned twice by the Nazis ... the second time at Brauweiler http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/founding-fathers/pdf/konrad_adenauer_en.pdf Willy Brandt also had to dodge the attention of the Nazis - his German citizenship was revoked and he became a Norwegian until his return to Germany postwar, however he kept his pseudonym, see wiki link in prev post for brief details. At Memorial to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising "Helmut Schmidt's father was the illegitimate son of a German Jewish businessman, although this was kept a family secret for many years." He served in WW2 and was taken POW by the British in 1945. Wiki article also linked in previous post.
