How Do Germany and Japan Teach WWII? How Does Britain Teach the American Revolution? And Much More

After World War II, the German state was utterly destroyed.

It was split in four parts, and to top it all, coming face to face with the scale of the atrocities their government and armies committed through public events like the Nuremberg Trials, in combination with the process of denazification and the regaining of independence albeit as two states helped the german people in the 50s to begin looking towards the future burying the past it was not just a lost war which people can accept while still feeling proud about their deeds during it as perhaps the french used to view napoleon's efforts which ended in defeat or austria's defeats in the seven years war rather in this case the sensation after the war seems to have been similar to a person regaining their senses after having committed acts of violence under the influence akin to a crowd cheering for a football team or other such instances of mob mentality which all humans are susceptible.

Naturally, given all the revelations after the war and the atrocities committed, the Germans collectively wanted nothing more than to forget and focus on new goals, first the economy which led to the German economic miracle, and then on the foundation of the European Union of which, in the coming decades, it would arguably become the leading country.

But what about the history books in school? After all, typical after any conflict, whether a given side is the winner or the loser, the history taught in schools tends to be colored to favor one's own people.

This, however, could not happen in Germany.

The reasons for this were varied, from making sure something like that couldn't happen again, and of course the scale of the atrocities on a global level and the small time gap that separates us from those events and how well documented those events are this brings us to the broad strokes of how this particular conflict was and is taught in german schools we should point out here that in germany the education system is regulated not by the federal government but independently in each of the 16 states that constitute the german federal republic or brd so the way history is taught although generally falling within the same lines can vary a lot from region to region for example the choice of literature used in the various classes differs greatly, not only from year to year, but also from federal state to federal state.

That caveat out of the way, the study of the war period and how this is viewed in German schools can be generally divided into four parts.

The Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, at least its beginnings, are generally viewed positively.

It is seen as a first decent effort towards democratization, despite the problems it faced in the aftermath of World War I.

The various problems culminating in the economic crisis of the late 20s and the subsequent rise of the Nazi regime are dealt with in detail, emphasizing the mistakes that would lead to the fall of the democratic system.

One would say that the Weimar Republic, despite the brevity of its existence, is viewed with a certain nostalgic sentiment, accompanied by the looming threat of what was to come.

And that is not just the war, but the Nazis themselves and their ideology.

nazi ideology and atrocities head-on the students are confronted with the crushing effects of totalitarian regimes radical ideologies and where these can lead in addition to photo and video documentaries most schools organize mandatory school trips to holocaust memorials usually former concentration camps this does not only apply to history class students are also introduced to the works of literature tackling the issue of nazism and ethnic hate in Europe at the time.

This can include, but is not limited to, authors such as Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann.

Additionally, Jewish voices are amplified in terms of Jewish poetry, reports from survivors, and historical documentaries focusing on the long-term consequences of hate and violence.

Some of the literature choices indicate that the schools try to emphasize the aspects of humanity and also the problem of group mentality and prejudice, as seen in works such as the post-war play Andorra by Max Frisch, and more recent works such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas from 2006 by John Boyne and The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.

They also look at the diaries of Anne Frank.

Excerpts of pro-Nazi texts are also studied once the students are deemed mature enough to handle this.

In this vein, excerpts from Mein Kampf are tackled in advanced history class, stressing the contradictions within the text, what contemporary citizens might have identified with, and the lack of morality therein.

Interestingly, as if to complement Nazi ideology with a similar type of prejudice, the other major topic focused on intensely is that of slavery, racism, and segregation in America.

The War Itself Remarkably, the details of the fields of war are often underplayed in German schools.

A possible reason for this is that showing maps of expanding German territory during the first two years of the war and discussing their winning battles might cause encouragement of nationalistic pride, which seems counterproductive to many, given the points that educators are trying to teach.

Furthermore, the discussion of the details of each battle that Rommel won or lost in Africa or the supply problems on the Eastern Front are not vital to the analysis of the atrocities of the Nazi regime.

Another more practical aspect is that already much time has been allocated to the subject of war anyway.

so they cut down on the actual battles of course one downside of de-emphasizing this is many german students are never really made aware of many specific military events and conquests since most emphasis in school is put on the internal developments theoretical or philosophical aspects and of course on the ideology and practice of ethnic cleansing and the ruthlessness to other groups of people seen as ethnic cultural or political outcasts such as Jews, homosexuals, communists, etc., the result is that the military developments of war are understated, as alluded to.