Debates on the Collective Guilt in Post­War West Germany

Abstract

Analyses the attitudes towards the Nazi past that existed in West German society from 1945 through the 1950s. The author considers the social and political situation in the Federal Republic of Germany, the concept of “zero hour”, and collective guilt thesis that were tackled in the publications of sociopolitical character. The author concludes that in Germany in the post­war period, a specific “victim’s mentality” prevailed that rejected the idea of collective guilt and responsibility for the Nazi crimes.