“The Nazi era was so absurd and cruel that I sometimes find it hard to really believe these things happened,” says a participant in a new study on the view that today’s youth have of this period in German and European history.
It is a project of the Arolsen Archives, the world’s largest archive on victims and survivors of National Socialism. It preserves and makes available online original documents about concentration camp prisoners, deportations, forced labor and testimonies of survivors.
The collection with data on about 17.5 million individuals is included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Now, the institution has published a survey on the stance of Germany’s so-called “Generation Z” – that is, between 16 and 25 years of age – towards National Socialism.
The director of the Arolsen Archives, Floriane Azoulay, says she perceives among young people “a great openness, curiosity and freedom of thought”: “Today, this generation sees that democracies can be in danger. is related to the vision of their own world, in which populist, authoritarian and intolerant voices are increasingly heard”.
Shock with a contrasting reality
In two phases, more than 1,100 young people of both sexes were consulted for the study, and their statements were compared with those of the previous generation. The result was surprising: Generation Z seems to be much more interested in Nazism than their parents (75% against 66%) and also associates involvement in the theme with current problems, such as racism and discrimination.
For those responsible for the study, there were several reasons for this reinforced interest, one of the most important being the feeling of not being co-responsible, of not bearing any personal blame for the Nazi period. “This allows for a more carefree access to that time”, comments psychologist Stephan Grünewald, founder of the Rheingold Institute, in charge of carrying out the study.
For Generation Z, Nazism represents an extreme contrast to reality itself. Its representatives live in a democratic world, where the possibilities of choice are numerous; they are free to make their own decisions and the paths to self-fulfillment are multiple.
“This multi-optional culture of availability is the opposite of the Nazi-era culture of dominance, with its well-defined categories, conceptions and convictions. The cult of the Führer, the duty of unconditional obedience and populist thinking, in front of which the individual and the diverse had bend over, turn the Nazi era into a counter-image as fascinating as it is terrifying,” the study explains.
The seductive power of totalitarianism
However, the power of this fascination has another side, points out Grünewald. The fear of being intoxicated by the linearity and expansive power of Nazism, or of being seduced by the fantasies of that time, is clear in the study. “I’m really afraid to think that, at the time, I would also side with the Nazis, just to get better”, reveals one of those consulted.
“So, there is a certain reservation in getting involved with the subject, which comes from not knowing which side the person would have been on. It’s a look into the abyss itself.” Would I be a victim, perpetrator, collaborator or even resistance fighter, how would I have reacted? These are questions that apparently occupy German generation Z intensely.
On the other hand, participants expressed the need to understand how a human being can act so inhumanely, how the perpetrators functioned, how the banality of evil is established and whether such a thing could happen again.
“I also want to see the motivations of SS officers, concentration camp directors or those who betrayed their Jewish neighbors. If the motives are transparent, I would certainly see that something like this could happen to me too,” admits one participant. “The beginnings of National Socialism show how change can creep in, how dangerous manipulations are,” observes another.
Attractive packaging for a difficult theme
Receptiveness to right-wing ideologies, fake news, the splitting of society, the rise of conspiracy theories, these are all current themes that Germans aged between 16 and 25 associate with an examination of the Nazi era. “The crucial point is to connect the story to the developments of today. Contextualizing is the big task we have to do”, explains Oliver Figge, of the Arolsen Archives.
The results of the study indicate unequivocally: if the transmission in the German school focuses too much on factual knowledge, in general young people do not find a connection with the subject, which seems to them too abstract, complex and distant.
What brings them closer to the subject is an examination of destinies and personal stories, such as those of Anne Frank or Oskar Schindler, on platforms that youth use and that are elaborated within the language and group identity they are used to.
As a positive example, the study’s coordinators cite the Instagram account @ichbinsophiescholl (I’m Sophie Scholl), in which the life of the activist executed at age 21 is narrated. “They observe how Sophie Scholl dances, listens to music, meets with friends, and at the same time understands the evolution of this young woman at that time”, says Stephan Grünewald.
Analyze the past to define the future
Therefore, the presentation of content related to the topic is extremely important to take it to the youth. Those consulted by the archive decidedly demanded a more open discussion.
“In classes on Nazism, I always had the feeling: ‘Watch out! There will be no space for any conversation or discussion. It’s not for anyone to have their own opinion. There is a consensus on how to think and learn,'” complains one of the participants.
“Often, pre-determined opinions and a decreed moral convey the impression of a closed discourse, which can no longer be questioned”, analyze the authors of the study.
The conclusion is clear: Generation Z in Germany is sensitive to the theme of National Socialism and the Holocaust. Even more: it takes lessons from the past and seeks to apply them in the present reality. “Occupying yourself with time immunizes”, summarizes psychologist Stephan Grünewald. Or, as yet another study participant put it: “I can’t answer back then, but I have a lot to do with today.”
