[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by Hugh

It's been 73 years since the war ended - we really need to let it go.

Using the 2nd World War to pillory modern day Germans is like blaming modern day Brits for the Amritsar Massacres, the Boer concentration camps, the way we partitioned India, the Bengal Famine, and other less salubrious actions of the British Empire.

I understand Hugh's point of view from the perspective of Nazism. But German hegemony is in their blood and the Greater German Empire is part of their government's plan. They dominate EU economics, seem to have the final say on everything, have an 8% or higher GDP surplus (at the expense of the rest of Europe). We are escaping from this and are about to re-embark on our own venture.

---------- Post added at 17:40 ---------- Previous post was at 17:36 ----------

Originally Posted by jonbxx

Germanys attitude in relation to WWII is interesting. They certainly don't hide their past. Go to Berlin to see examples of this. The Topography of Terror exhibition and holocaust memorials are amazing exhibits right in the centre of the city.

There is acceptance of what happened but also a clear admission of how it happened. It's the understanding of the how the rise of Hitler occurred and how this lead to the holocaust, etc happened is how we avoid these things happen again. This acceptance is ingrained in the culture of your common German but they have moved on from the sackcloth and ashes repentance and are now wanting this not to happen again.

Should the architects of the German war of aggression of 1939-1945 be forgiven? No. Should we punish todays Germans for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers? Also no.

Germany is a fascinating country. They have had two massive upheavals rewriting the way their country works in the end of WWII and the end of the cold war and reunification. Berlin is the most extreme case of this and would encourage anyone to visit that city

I know Germany very well, having lived there for a year and visiting regularly. I'm a fluent German speaker and so get to know stuff about what they mean when they say something.

The average German is a top person - from a human point of view. But from a normal psychological standpoint, their pride in their economic achievement leads to natural pride that Germany has more control over the EU than any other country. That's human nature. So these nice people are quite content with German hegemony as it currently sits and develops.