Quote:
Originally posted by James
Just to add a slight modicum of something positive about the Germans, I had relatives in Germany that hid Jews fleeing the country. So not all Germans were bad, just the vast majority.
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Its not that Germans were bad. Its that they had no real tradition of democracy, and when a wicked depression hit, a demagogue was able to take power. There was a tradition of intolerance in southern Germany, but a strong tradition of tolerance in northern Germany, and especially in Prussia. It should come as no surprise that Hitler was from the South.
What worries me about Germany is that they eradicated Prussian culture, due to its militarism. Prussian culture was the one part of German culture that embraced ethnic diversity. They got rid of that. Southern germany, the part with an ancient history of virulent anti-Semitism that never abated, became the wealthier part of Germany after WWII. Germany is still searching for its identity. Money talks, and I fear that Bavarian culture will become dominant.
As the US begins its pullout from Europe, the Europeans will have to grow up and take care of themselves. Germany will be at the center of this, and it scares me.
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