As an American experiencing Germany for the first time, I was able to focus on the relationship and history between the German people and their government, especially during the Third Reich. The German Historical Museum explores the people’s perspective and their interaction with Hitler’s government. The juxtaposition that exists between the rights of the individual in Nazi Germany and in the United States makes the German experience unique and distinct from other European nations. The German Historical Museum discusses the Weimar Republic, the democratic government after World War I, and its shortcomings before its eventually destruction. Essentially, Weimar was a democracy without democrats and was doomed to fail the moment it was formed because the people saw its creation as a betrayal of the German Army. It’s hard to fathom from an American perspective, how the majority of the German people were willing to sacrifice their freedoms in favor of a totalitarian regime that persecuted its own people. The fact that the German government can change so drastically within a ten-year period makes it all the more interesting to analyze, especially from an American point of view.
The tour of Germany’s Bundestag helped provide a basic structure of Germany’s current governmental system. The current system relies heavily on democratic ideals and the structure of the Reichstag provides a constant reminder of the past. The glass dome in the center of the building reminds elected officials of the past and symbolizes that the people are always watching. This idea that the government exists to serve the people has a strong connection with America’s own governmental system and it demonstrates the progress Germany has made over the last several decades under democratic rule.
Germany’s World War II museums also present an accurate history of their country’s war experience and participation in war crimes. The museums discuss the atrocities that Nazi Germany committed, from the mobile killing units of the Einsatzgruppen to the systemized execution of the Jews, and tries to help Germans come to terms with their difficult past. Germany has a better grasp about recognizing their mistakes when compared to the United States. Some Americans forget the mistakes that the United States has made, from the institution of slavery to the treatment of Native Americans, and they fail to understand these events as a part of American history. Similarly, the German Resistance Museum accurately describes the different resistance movements against Hitler’s government. Under the Nazi regime, there was no widespread resistance movement like in France or Poland, and the German Resistance Museum accurately portrays these few movements that challenged Hitler’s authority. This museum does not inflate the accomplishments of the different types of resistance and does not suggest that the efforts of these resistance groups had any significant influence on the outcome of the war.