tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post114778745754198601..comments2023-10-28T10:12:35.184-04:00Comments on Big Tent: German Memory DebateStephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14620478836945715498noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1148306523664855742006-05-22T10:02:00.000-04:002006-05-22T10:02:00.000-04:00The filmmakers made it a point to show Hitler's ti...The filmmakers made it a point to show Hitler's tirades against everyone, which is an accurate portrayal. And those civilians being hanged? Other civilians were doing the hanging. So by my count we have all of the civilians in the bunker, the Hitler youth volunteers, and the majority of the random people in the street against a wounded veteran father (who made no political statements) and a Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12616206952252181603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1148113380400474992006-05-20T04:23:00.000-04:002006-05-20T04:23:00.000-04:00Tom, the only civilians who were cooperating with ...Tom, the only civilians who were cooperating with the Nazis in Downfall were the Hitler youth and a couple of Hitler's aides in the bunker. The filmmakers made it a point to highlight Hitler's tirades against the German civilians. Also, what about the multiple scenes with civilians getting shot or hanged for not fighting?Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04576302551728970387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1147814736846928322006-05-16T17:25:00.000-04:002006-05-16T17:25:00.000-04:00This probably depends on whether we are talking ab...This probably depends on whether we are talking about the Holocaust, or about the effects of the war on Germans and Germany. I think that many Germans like to believe that a small percentage of their countrymen somehow pulled off one of the greatest crimes in history, and gave them a bad name in the process. But when it comes to the direct effects of the war on Germans, what occurred in Dresdenthedudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01000278418859952396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1147807071359335482006-05-16T15:17:00.000-04:002006-05-16T15:17:00.000-04:00That's not the Downfall I saw. In fact, it was ex...That's not the Downfall I saw. In fact, it was exactly the opposite of what you say--it shows misguided Germans embracing wholeheartedly the Nazi way of thinking and actively fighting for that philosophy.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12616206952252181603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1147805991085867462006-05-16T14:59:00.000-04:002006-05-16T14:59:00.000-04:00Not so much victims of warfare, but victims of the...Not so much victims of warfare, but victims of the Nazis. The prevailing viewpoint today, as far as I can see (I speak with many young Germans on a regular basis), is that the Nazis took Germany hostage. It was not the German people who committed the atrocities, but the Nazis.<BR/><BR/>Hence the recent emergence of films about the Third Reich. Movies such as <EM>Downfall</EM> and <EM>Sophie Tobyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04576302551728970387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6354819.post-1147800502083430242006-05-16T13:28:00.000-04:002006-05-16T13:28:00.000-04:00Also no expert on historical memory here. It seem...Also no expert on historical memory here. It seems to me that a crucial part of this is that following the war there were two Germany's, and both had different interpretations of what had happened. If one can speak of one German historical memory today, in my experience it would be that the post-reunion generation prefers to view Grandma and Grandpa as victims of warfare, and to leave the wholethedudehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01000278418859952396noreply@blogger.com