How Germany Deals With Its Dark Past (BRITISH REACTION)

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

I think, the reason, why the stumpeling Stones are on the ground, is, in order to read the names, you have to bend down . This , for me , is a Form of Respect.

[@edincuric3873]

Aditionally it's more uncommon for someone to See such an engraved shiny stone in the ground. You would get more curious and therefore willing to know what it is about.

[@AleaumeAnders]

Plus it's where kids are looking at much more so than us adults. This way it's our kids that teach us, by asking "Dad, what does this mean". Once you had to explain to them, with a breaking voice, that this was a kid that wasn't allowed to get older than they are now... It can't get more respectful than that.

[@dasmaurerle4347]

Exactly.

[@raven_bird]

I honestly never walk over stumbling stones if I see them. I live in Pforzheim, which has quite a lot of stumbling stones on the streets. On my way home from work I pass exactly 10 of them and I read the names almost every day, by now I know the names of the people who lived there of by heart, but I still walk past them and read them every single day. After a storm last year they were dirty and hardly readable and the old Lady living in one of the houses that has them was kneeling on the floor in front of them and cleaned them, till they were all shiny again.

[@andreseltmann7190]

And its no problem to "Walk" over the Stars on the "Walk of Fame"😮. It Start as a "Art" Projekt!!!! Translate it in Englisch and it makes no sin at all to Put the "Stolpersteine" on a wall!

[@HelgaJanso-mt1ex]

My grandfather got a stumpling stone because he was in the resistance. I'm so proud.

[@nmmknh8997]

As a german, I absolutely love to find stumbling stones. The idea behind it is that if you walk around and walk over them you would stumble a little and had to look down at it. Also, while looking down you had to bow your head as a gesture of respect. Also, they are made golden to make sure you can already see them from afar. And I love stading there, looking down at these names, standing where those poor people stood. It's just a beautiful gesture.

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

and they really make you stumble. when I walk, and listen to musik, and am very much in my own head.. I don't see plaquets at walls. I do see something shiny and golden on the ground in front of me. and I always stop to read. they pull me out of my daily life and force me to remember. a wall plaquet couldn't do that.

[@yeetyeet7070]

@@karowolkenschaufler7659 they do not make you stumble. That is not true. they a perfectly set into the pavement.

[@SB-cz9vo]

@@karowolkenschaufler7659 I agree with you there. When you walk around, you focus more on the ground in front of you than on some little plaques around you, and you take note of them. At the same time, yes, you step on the markings. I see them as more resilient to those who are being immature or being a jerk and trying to smear something on them. All in all, I am for having the stumbling stones around us. They are not in our face in an aggressive way, but they are always there to remind us of what can happen if we allow true evil to take control of society.

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

@@yeetyeet7070 I don't stumble over them because my foot get caught. I stumble because I get plucked out of my thoughts and my autopilot mode. my body stumbles because my mind stumbles.

[@dayfin1843]

The stumbling is supposed to happen inside your head, not with your feet.

[@alexsoundso]

As a German I'd like to say thank you for your open-minded reaction to how we deal with our history. I think it is very important that we never forget what we did and how it could come to that. It is our responsibility to remember and to prevent it from ever happen again. The right winged parties are on the rise again and we need to remember now more that ever to stand up to them. #neveragain

[@oskarprotzer3000]

I love the idea of the stumbling stones! I live in Frankfurt and every so often I stumble on them, take a minute and read their names, imagine how they got taken away, how they must have felt and what a horrible fate that was. And then you take a look up the sidewalk and see 5 more. Sometimes its the names of a whole family. They work very well as a reminder and historical processing.

[@SarkastikSwami]

I do think these are important as well since you have to bow before them to read them which is actually a way to pay respect too

[@oskarprotzer3000]

@@SarkastikSwami I agree

[@LeyCarnifex]

I like them too, but then I also take care to never step on one. I think if I accidentally did that, I'd apologize to the person whose name I stepped on, it just seems really rude. If somebody just walked straight over them that'd definitely be disrespectful, so I understand that criticism

[@oskarprotzer3000]

@@LeyCarnifex if somebody steps on them intenionally its very disrespectful I think.

[@BlackWater_49]

10:37 No, it's actually great for multiple reasons. A: Pavements are public ground so in contrast to putting them on buildings residents cannot object and block their installment. B: The golden colour of the _Stolpersteine_ really sticks out of the monotone gray of the pavement, much more so than it would out of colourful house facades. C: Most importantly, because they're installed on the ground if you read the inscriptions you automatically bow your head in commemoration of the victims.

[@chrissiesbuchcocktail]

I am German, born 1967 and from the 5th grade up education about the war and Holocaust was all around me and not only in history classes. For example in "Deutsch" wie read the book "Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl" and later "Die Welle". In the late 80s we made a two week class trip to Poland riding around the country by bus, visited Auschwitz and other places connected to the war / holocaust and had a polish older Lady as guide who told us a lot too. I never personally felt shame because even my parents were little kids when it happend but I feel the importance of never forgetting and taking care such things never happen again. It was a horrible time and nothing can be excused and it is even hard to explain why people can be so horrible but I think Germany would not stand where it is now without this past. We learned from it. We forged a strong democracy with a strong "Grundgesetzt" in the aftermath and I am thankful for that. We still have problems but we face them. Not all countries do that, instead one just now tries to suppress the dark parts of it's history and repeats our past in it's own way, starting with book banning and burning. I fear the worst.

[@lightborn9071]

A very moving comment.❤

[@markuslusch568]

Hi there, thanks for your reaction to that. I like to give you my impression to that topic, as a mid-aged German from Hamburg, and my openion is: The presence of the darkest side of our history on almost daily bases is still there and 100% necessary. We are mentioning nowadays a raising bunch of voters, in our "free world", including USA, UK, Germany and EU-States, voting for Populism, often with right-Wing-concept (Italys actual goverment, le Pen in France, AFD in Germany, right wing Parties in Scandinavia and Austria). When round about 20% of the People in a democratic state votes for a right wing Party, its horrible, and as already mentioned in this video you reacted to: We need to repeat history knowlidge and our learnings from that 'cause new Geerations must be educated as well, at least when you want to prevent a democratic state from an internal Invasion by Right wing extremism. So far from my side, All the best to you.

[@Andrzhel_vis_Vhaeraun]

My grandfather ( who died 2 years ago at the age of 95) was a soldier in the Wehrmacht. He was wounded in Austria. Never talked about any involvement in atrocities, he was always very quick to avoid and deflect the topic. Since he - even as a learned and intelligent person - was a convinced Nazi until his death, i had a very conflicted relationship with him. On one side there is this emotionally distant man with a horrible moral foundation.. on the other hand he is my grandfather who looked after us and cared for us.

[@lightborn9071]

It is a soldiers duty to protect his people from the uglyness of war.

[@thomaskruck4474]

The stumbling stones are made of brass, and from time to time, somebody polishes them. Can be done by people living in that street, might be children from a school. Then you walk by and notice shiny stones, and you remember, both because have seen them before, and what they mean. In this sense, stumbling stones are the best memorials I can think of.

[@anunearthlychild8569]

The idea behind the stumbling stones is that you have to bow or kneel to read them. A kind of respect.

[@irminschembri1081]

The frozen and deformed hands of my history teacher due to the war in Russia were one reason for me to become a history teacher myself. I taught German and international history for decades always telling my students what it means to be part of the great and the terrible sides of our history. And as mentioned here and in the comments below: Never forget and........... there is no country innocent enough " to throw the first stone" . I think it is an achievement to be willing to deal with one's dark past.

[@a.f.w.froschkonig2978]

Ask King Charles about terrible sides of history. He seems to get deeper in the subject of guilt these days. Very interesting too.

[@TheTomRize]

there is a book and a movie (very informative yet entertaining) about exactly this topic, if there could ever be a circumstance where this could happen again called "Die Welle" ("The Wave"), It shows how, even though we all like to think this could never happen again, it is so easy to fall into ideologies by circumstance and group mentality. I would love for you to watch it and give your review of that. The movie is really well made, i showed it to a lot of my international friends, cause its a great german movie haha

[@ovuvuevuevueenyetuenwuevu]

My grandfather served in the Wehrmacht during WW2. He single handily destroyed 11 tanks. He was the worst mechanic Germany ever had.

[@dcxng6913]

hi mert, thanks for the reaction. I was thinking about the problem of the stumble stones too and can understand the argument, i am a german and i think this is the best idea, i live in berlin and saw this a lot but i never search for them but just stumble over them and then take a direct look and think how bad it was. I think these wall plates i totally overlook cause you have to be on search for them i think for tourists this is great but i think the stones on the floor awesome. About the movie "er ist wieder da" or he is back again at watching the movie i had a bad feeling, the movie was funny but it also shows something which creates fear that something like the past could happen again i think the movie plays with this feeling and this is also the stregth of this movie.

[@Brainreaver79]

additionaly you have the problem with the wall plaques if the house owner doesnt want them on his house wall,.. your "stumbling stone" isnt put up at all

[@corinnaschenk9131]

Did you know, in Austrian Towns we have the Stumbling Stones too.

[@jenson1896]

No country has done so much harm in so little time, and no country has done so much good in so little time. 🇨🇭🤝❤🇩🇪

[@MellonVegan]

Eeeeh, not so sure about the former bit. There have been a lot of very dark episodes in history. The entirety of the second world war only just makes the top 10 if we're talking deadliest conflicts in history by percentage of world population. And in terms of atrocities, there are too many genocides to count. Remember the Khwarazmian Empire? No? Well, that's my point. Armenian genocide, the rape of Nanking,... history has been long and violent. Not to downplay any of it (including WWII), just saying.

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

It‘s not simplyabout quantity.

[@wudruffwildcard252]

No country was so young as Germany and had a memory of being ravaged for a hundreds of years over and over again. "Germany" was a playfield for already long established greater powers for hundreds of years.

[@sandymastermind2669]

That was actually quiet sweet...

[@meganoob12]

@@sandymastermind2669 it‘s a quote from a book

[@tirirana]

Regarding the Stolpersteine, the artist actually held a talk and Q&A at my school in the late 90s. For one it is kind of a necessity in some situations, as the sidewalk is public property and the owners of the houses can't do anything against it like with wall mounted plaques. Also, and I can understand why people find it disrespectful, but I kinda think it's a very strong statement, the more people walk over the stones the more they get polished and shine. So even if you trample those people and their memory, you can never stamp them out.

[@MellonVegan]

About not mentioning the war: Most people have no issue with talking about the war. It's being reduced to 12 out of 2000 years of history for the same very obvious, easy to make and overused jokes that annoys us. It's not even about the war. I feel the same about other parts of my identity where I get to hear the same 3 stupid jokes all the time. Anyone would.

[@fs4757]

My Grandfather was a father of four sons in woldwar two. He always spoke to us about this time if we are asking. What would you do to safe your family. Coorparate and find a special way. Becoming a farmer. Because the sons of farmers didn't to have to go to the army.

[@CobraChicken101]

The Germans have redeemed themselves in a very impressive way. You are right that every country has a dark past, there is no use in denying it, but there is also no use in blaming current generations for it. " one can not take credit for the achievements of your ancestors, but you also can not be blamed for their mistakes" - ME😉 😂✌️❤️ PS: As you are in Asia, it could be interesting for you to look at the way Japans handles the issue or rather how they ignore that part of their history. It's uncomfortable so they ignore most of it and twist reality in education as if they were victims and not agressors.

[@TheBeyspieler]

Most of my grandfathers and great grandfathers fought in the war. Sadly, all of them died before I was old enough to comprehend what happened and ask them about it. I know one of my grandfathers was an officer in the Wehrmacht - having been forcefully drafted and torn from his education - but he was captured early on the western front, so I like to hope his hands were clean. I did find out, some time after his death, that one of my great grandfathers was an ardent Nazi before, during and after the war. Its shameful and I wish I could have confronted him about it.

[@Dirk-Ulowetz]

The intention of the artist if the stumble stones was, that you will have to bend for reading it. In my opinion, you have to know your past.

[@missmeowjulia4574]

I think you find evidence in most German families. We have all these pictures of relatives of that time showing nazi symbols. Men wearing uniforms and stuff like that. What always affected me the most was the story of my great grandfather who according to my mother was the most loving and kind grandfather a child could have. My great-grandparents lived in a small town in the Harz mountains and he used to be a stoker on a train. One day the train was used to bring people to the KZ and then my great grandfather fully understood what was going on. He went back to his family and has never been the same. On the contrary his own brothers must have been part of the SS cause they were always dressed in those black trousers and always had coffee and chocolate and stuff that you couldn’t really get during the war. According to my mum one of his brothers was chased by the Americans but unfortunately never caught. So all of this shows the rift that even went through some families. My great grandfather wanted nothing to do with his brothers. It’s important to keep those stories in mind but I don’t carry the guilt. I don’t blame my great grandfather for going back to his family after that incident with the train instead of protesting and getting shot. Of course I condemn his brothers though. There’s good and evil in every family.

[@anjal7041]

I have never seen someone walking over the stumbling stones and personally I have never done this. I like the idea of stumbling stones that make you stop when your thought are far away from that times and you follow your daily business. You stop and read the names. This means that you have to look down (bow) or go down on your knees. That is a lot of respect. If the names are on a wall I wouldn't recognize then as we are used on information pinned on a wall....but not on a floor.

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

when I walk around I look at the ground a lot. I wouldn't actually see anything on a wall. but something shiny and golden on the ground... makes me literally stumble.

[@dutchman7623]

Stumbling Stones are a very good way to remember. Often the houses are not there any longer, renovated, replaced by something else, cities change. They contain just the name, date of birth, date of death and where they died. It is up to you to draw conclusions. If you can read them, and look forward, your eyes are looking at where they used to live. The memory is not attached to the house or building of today, nor who lives there now, timeless, forever...

[@frauleintrude6347]

I always stop and read the names on the stones (I don’t need to bow deep down) while sending a little thought. It reminds me that there a still members in our society which did not learn a thing from the past. We have to be aware of the danger.

[@kix1464]

There was a girl in the course I was taking before I went on to university and she was from Israel. We had the same friends but very rarely spoke to each other. One day she said that her grandma saw horrible things during WW2 and the Germans had done horrible things to her. And that's why she hated all Germans. She was a very sweet person so I didn't dislike her at all. And she didn't say that she hated me. It was just a general fact. This is what's called trauma. A bit like people who got bitten by one dog and fear every dog from then on. It's nothing personal. And I was glad that the friends who were sitting with us at the time she said that didn't "shame" her or say anything negative to her. We all just respected her for her feelings. Just like she didn't shame the Germans or me. She never said anything negative to me or about me (at least not that I know of). She respected me for the person I am. The people back then aren't that different from the people now. They were the same human beings with the same emotions etc. as we are. So I think it's crucial to educate people about history and how we got to be who we are in order to learn that nobody is perfect or better than anyone else and that we CAN make the same mistakes again and to respect one another. We did horrible, horrible things (and still are but that's a different topic). Most of the generations who haven't done any of the atrocities committed during WW2 are educating themselves about their past so that it won't repeat itself again. There were so many people who were treated like garbage and way worse. Some people are still traumatised - like this girl listening to the stories of her beloved grandma. So the will to educate oneself and (general) respect from both sides is needed. No shame or guild tripping. Just respect.

[@crossfire2204]

Hello. Your videos are very interesting. Do you plan to travel to Germany at some point? You are a cool guy and always welcome.

[@montecigno]

[i'm a german from dachau, member of several victim groups of the ns-time]: your video is nice and respectful, thank you. most people (also most jews) like the stepping stones: treading on them has a beautiful almost ironic beauty. not only do they give the name, but also short hints to the story of the victims. for the nazi architecture: while i find it important to preserve the camps as memorials, i think most of the other buildings could go: i studied and taught in buildings from that time: it's architecture which ist built to intimidate (fanta isn't...)

[@inkehoffmann2248]

Surely every day you can watch this in TV 🙈! Sometimes we travel and some people are angry with us- We went to Israel 🇮🇱 everybody was friendy to us!!! Thank you so much!!!! I‘ll never forget this 🙏!!! I love your KZbin Channel 😊

[@Microtubui]

everytime the topic of the stumpelingstones comes up I have to think abou Napoleon Bonapartes memorial. this is so big you only have to ways two look at it. if you are entering you have to look up or you are upstairs than you have to bend down. both are ways to pay respect

[@mvbmatheloesungen]

I'm German. In the late 70's I had 3 (!) hours of school lesson about the whole time between 1933 and 1945. And 1 hour was a discussion about the themes. 1 girl wanted "role of women" in Nazi-German, 1 boy wanted "development of weapons" during WW2.We then had 2 hours about how Hitler came to power in 1933 - that was it ...

[@a.f.w.froschkonig2978]

The most impressive thing I learned from my Grandfather: How he survived 36 close combat days in detail.

[@hansmolders1066]

You must see ' Look who's back' and 'Goodbye Lenin' both satires that will tell you more about our humour! My American wife's comment was "Wow, just wow!"

[@WirrWicht]

Interesting how different the perception of the stumbling stones and the walk of fame is.

[@blabla1387]

It's interesting. I never felt that the Stolpersteine could be seen as disrespectful in any way. With regards to mentioning the war, i don't think there is any problem talking about the war nowadays. The saying was maybe true for our Grandfather/-mother generation but not anymore. For young people it's just a part of history.

[@XMaximvsPayneX]

in germany its our mission to dont let history repeat itsef and its so damn important.

[@Majenga]

German here... Can tell you I ask my grand parents about the war and blatantly asked why they went along with what's going on and I pretty much got a "yaaaay.... we're not talking about this" vibe... :(

[@MartinAmbrosiusHackl]

The grandfather from my father's side was in the SS. He volunteered as soon as he had reached the age to join. Actually he even forged his papers, to get accepted earlier. My grandfather on the other side was part of the administration. He and his wife (my grandmother) felt a deep disdain for the Nazis. Yet they stayed and my grandfather even made a little career in the administration. One stop of his career was as part of the occupying authorities in Czechia. How did t h e y cope with the past? - Well, the first one came back with - what is now called - PTSD. He would be very authoritarian in the family, educating my father in a way, that my father from 15 on only felt hate against him. My grandfather would be a violent, merciless father. He would inseminate deep values in my father - which he would violate himself. He would try to start anew after 1945, but could never really find his way to get ettled in a way acceptable for him. Around 1969 he killed hiself. (My father would only react coldly, telling my grandmother, that hanging himself would have been the only thing, my grandfather could have done right for the world.) On the other side, my grandfather went on to make a career in Northrhein-Westfalia. He really made it. He became very inluencial in local state administration. They were one of the first families to have a big car, etc. Yet, they would never forget the THird Reich and never make their peace with it. When I was a child, my grandfather was long dead. But my grandfather would do, what most grandmothers wouldn't: She would constantly talk about the war, about the Nazis and how deep she had diosdained them. At a cvertain period of time, they had even been in danger to get betrayed by their eldest son, my uncle, who was around 10. He was fascinated by the Nazis. He loved to be part of Hitler Jugend, etc. And he felt loyal towards the regime i a way, that my grand father and my grandmother knew, they had to be careful with what they said, when the children were around. (Many parents got denounced by there children for telling a joke about Hitler or dicussion the bad situation of the German Wehrmacht. They would either be sent to a concentration camp or killed.) So as a child I heard very early about this time and how bad it had been. I cannot remember a time without the presence of the Nazis. And everything I was tought, I felt was to contradict the ideology, the spirit and the residuals of the Nazis. I was educated by my mother to be open to everyonbe and to respect everyone - even if I would not be able to like them. Today I'm 52. And I think learning about the Nazi time in a thorough and differenciated way should be one of the most immportant tasks world wird. What happened in Germany was the worst of the worst. But it wans't so solitary, as I had thought for a long time. Think of Cmbodia, of Stalin, of Ruanda - but also of Putin and even Trump (who are school boys compareed to Stalin and Hitler). Putin and Trump became possible, because many people do not understand the mechanisms at work in Nazi time as clear and unmitigated as in germany between 1933 and 1944. My family was involved. But we should not just look back. We should look forward... for a brighter future on the one hand and to be able to prevent... on the other hand. Btw:: This might be interesting: qr.ae/pGjs2i ("Are Germans proud of being German?")

[@atconnys8786]

Wow... Thanks for sharing

[@mei_plays3559]

Bro wrote a whole essay 💀💀

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

thanks for sharing. and that is where I'm worried. that the mechanisms are not understood. I went to school from 1998 onward and didn't learn about the mechanisms, about the dynamics, about the psychology and group psychology. I got slaped in the face with pictures of heaps of bodies of people killed in concentration camps at the age of 13 or 14... a lot of looking AT it and not nearly enough looking INTO it. and that doesn't make people understand but just makes them fed up with the topic. and that worries me. if we don't understand what and how it happened... how are we supposed to prevent it from happening again? how are we going to live up to our responsibility?

[@autolykos9822]

Yeah, having all kinds of histories in the family is probably kind of common. I also had everything from an ardent Nazi (with a 4-digit number in the membership card, and BFF with the chief doctor in Auschwitz), to one who died in a concentration camp for being a Socialist (and probably got turned into a lampshade). The 20s and 30s were a really f***ed up time in Germany, with parts of the same family occasionally finding themselves on different sides of street fights.

[@itsgamingtime9578]

i know about my familys past in NS Germany. my grand grand father was in the "Volkssturm" at the age of 16. he never really talked about it but i can understand that. it must be horrific

[@JohnHazelwood58]

Hi Mate! There is a BBC documentary on youtube called "Make me a German". It's about a british family moving to Germany, to live the standard life of a German - as an experiment! They live in a standard flat, get a standard job, a standard car, standard food and even standard freetime and hobbys and so on! Very interesting, very well done! You should check it out! :) Cheers, J.

[@u.z.9383]

I am German. I have seen the documentary. IMHO there is one thing they have done wrong: You need to find people with similar interests, hobbies, taste and (it's not nice to say, but) educational background. Else you feel as an alien. The British family didn't do that.

[@twinmama42]

I'm German and a profound discussion about the Nazis and WW2 is always welcome to me. I expect genuine curiosity and/or knowledge about the topic. What I dislike are uneducated remarks, dumb jokes, and disrespecting the victims (like parkouring the Holocaust memorial in Berlin). Stumbling Stones is a great project as they give names and concrete dates to the victims - it becomes personal in a way. It's one thing to say the Nazis killed millions of Jews, homosexuals, Sinti, Roma, and political enemies. But to read the names and dates when they were deported in the knowledge that my parents were already alive then (they were children) and my grandparents were adults at that time. Did they know of the atrocities? Did they do anything against it, a little resistance here and there? Or were they blindly following the propaganda as the majority of the population? What would I have done if I was in their shoes? It's a humbling experience and all you can do is bow before them and pay your respect.

[@RealEstate3D]

The same we have in Vienna, Austria. I don’t know if these stones are in other Austrian cities too though.

[@T0MT0Mmmmy]

I actually take care to not step on a stumbling stone.

[@rickyratte5643]

The stones are made of metal. Metal dont lose its value, even if someone step on it. But believe me,you will never step on them by accident. It just dont happens. I like them a lot. Ppl dont turn their heads, stop and read whars written on a wall. People usually on the ground. Its a name, the date of birth, the day of Deportation and the date of death. And you can read this while you walk by.

[@marxel4444]

For me i take pride in things i achieve. If i get lucky with something i feel happy but not proud. Could i be proud about winning the lotty? I would be happy but throw it in other peoples faces? Now if i were to build a company and become filthy rich i would be proud and arrogant as hell because i and the people working with me and for me did that! One of the few times "german nationalism" grips the entirety of germany is when we do well in football. Germany really comes together then.

[@LibertarianLeninistRants]

It's true what you said in the beginning, that we Germans are less happy about Germany even though people from other countries can learn so much it. But I think thats a good thing. I don't want to live in a country where everyone agrees that its perfect - that would mean stagnation. Its a good thing that we are not (and never will be) satisfied with the situation. We always have to strive towards improvement.

[@stefankrautz9048]

Well, the documentaries about War and Hitler are often BBC documentaries translated.

[@myeramimclerie7869]

My grandma was half Czech half Sudeten German. Her mother died before WW2 and after the war her family was driven out of Czechia because her father was German. They arrived in kettle train cars in north east Germany, carrying what they could carry and leaving all things of value behind. My grandmother had to care for her injured father (he had a wooden leg, injury from WW1), a little brother and a pregnant teen sister. They were not very font of the Nazis since their ideology put them into that situation and they were relatively untouched by the Czech's ban on work for Germans during WW2 since they were middle class farmers. My grandfather, her husband, served as a mailman in WW2. I don't know what he thought about the regime, in old photos he just looks like he has a good time going on field trips with his buddies, while wearing a swastika on their arms. I know he hated the war though and wanted to prevent it from happening again. My grandparents on my mother's side were born during the war. My great grandparents on my mother's father's side were probably the biggest Nazis in the family. They named my grandpa Adolf. My grandpa's mother was actually Polish, but she hid her identity until after her death when we discovered her birth certificate. So she by all means was rather German than Polish. But then again, there could be a small possibility that she simply fell in love with a German guy and wanted to really hide her background to keep her family save. Given the fact that she and her husband had a 25 years age difference though, that whole love thing remains only a small possibility. The great grandparents on my mother's mother's side are in a grey area as well. My grandma's mother was from Russia and her father served in both wars, also experiencing being a war prisoner in Russia, surviving on cabbage soup for several month. They were not very fond of Russians and probably Nazis. Also the family was broken in different ways, my grandmother partly grew up away from her mother which affected her deeply and led to her not really sharing a lot of information about her family.

[@FelixvonMontfort]

The reporters german is very good. First a thought she's a native, but no. I also had relatives involved, the brother of my granny was a proud SS officer.

[@lme4339]

The horrifying thing about the movie „Er ist wieder da“ is that there are a lot real scenes. No play. Scary. 12:10

[@brinkiTOgo]

I love the stumbling stones. I always take care to not step on them though. And in my region (maybe in others too, I don't know) it is very common for members of certain political parties (I think mostly SPD, which was the only party to vote against the law that gave Hitler his power) to clean and polish all the stumbling stones once a year.

[@denisdrumm971]

I wouldn't say that the armed forces are constantly ridiculed, but many Germand do have a fractious relationship towards them. I remember some time ago reading an article that raised the issued, that an inspection of the forces discovered that the quality of their long underpants was not sufficient enough and therefore not suitable for soldiers fullfilling their duties. Everyone I knew had a great laugh at that and it depicts the condition of our army quite well. Other countries demand high-tech tanks from Germany, but in reality we cannot even provide enough underpants for every soldier - how is that for irony?

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

sometimes I think that is the unspoken deal after the second world war. germany is allowed to have an army, but only if it's not much use... like trusting a kid only with a dull knife. I wish we wouldn't need armies at all... but... if your neighbour has a sword and is prone to playing with it into your general direction.. you need more than a dull knife.

[@knaecke1666]

"Wenn ihr euch fragt, wie das damals passieren konnte: weil sie damals so waren, wie ihr heute seid." Henryk M. Broder "If you're wondering how that could have happened then: because they were the way you are now then." Henryk M. Broder / German publicist and author Just have a look at the Corona time. As a German, who is not vaccinated and who critisized the Corona measures, I totally agree with this. I´m still upset what happend in Corona time and I have to say, that propably nobody has learnt ANYTHING. That these denunciations and exclusions could have happen again, in MY HOME COUNTRY Germany, a country with THIS recent history.... Since 3 years, this country is not my country any more. Im´only a human beeing on the planet earth. And also having a look on the political behavior of Germany.... The Greens rule against the people.... Germany was once a great country to live, but this country existed in the past.

[@godblesstheinternet]

the Stolperteine-topic is RIDICULOUS! It's such a great idea! But then some losers interpreted it the wrong way, that you "step on the victims" and it was cancelled..... What a shame! Greetings from Germany!

[@BilZebub3739]

As a German i can say that i am proud of what my country has become but ashamed of what it was before that.

[@WhiteBoyGamer]

regarding the stumble stones, i life in berlin. we have them in many places and while i see the argument that its disrespectful i have to say that these landmarks are meant to be stumbled apon. reminding everyone that what happened was not just in some book or movie. it was right here where you stand. not just some museum or monument. no one that i know would ever walk over one of them knowingly. so i for sure understand and see the argument made against it but i believe they do have a good purpose and they are treated respectfully. the intention when they started was never any of harm. we all hear these horrible crimes and unbelievable numbers of what happened but it seems so out of this world. reality is those numbers had names and it was not out of this world. it was in the street i life and the next one and the next one

[@Rutanachan]

My father and my maternal grandmother were Nazi's up until their deaths. My father was a soldier, my grandmother had a child with a french soldier, which could've thrown her whole family into the concentration camps, and STILL threw out phrases like "This wouldn't have happened under Hitler!" when she was angered about an immigrant simply existing. Needless to say that I cut contact with both of them very early in my life and never regretted it. In school, all I learned about in history classes was WWII, and to such a degree, that I was bored out of my mind and didn't learned anything in the end. And for a long time I was like "ok, stop throwing us to death with it" - but with the recent rise in right-winged mentality (all over the world), I guess it's necessary after all. And yeah, there are A LOT of WWII documentaries on TV, especially the News channels and documentary channels obviously. Germany makes sure we never forget our past, and I don't think it's a bad thing.

[@lakritz1987]

Those 75,000 stones are called stumbling stones. You are not meant to walk on them, but to stumble over them each time remembering those who died. In that sense, I loved the idea. Those who find it disrespectful, seem to miss the point of it entirely in my opinion.

[@tomsun3159]

My Grandfather was at the Deutsche Reichsbahn at that time and also my Granduncle, my father told me they told him Every worker at the Deutsche Reichsbahn knows were the cargo wagons wer going to, and lots of the higher inspectors were waiting after the Nürnberg processes that its getting a few levels below with accusating. Not that they were involved, but they knew a lot of tiny bits and were able to put one and one together. To be honest there were at least a few people not knowing anything, but for sure the people claiming that they knew nothing are for sure the people knowing the most (more than the average). If suddenly people in your neighbourhood are disappearing, you must be very braindead if you are not asking yourself questions.

[@gretahaase5509]

'Mankind has come to its senses'... Mhm, sure. Trump, Erdogan, Ukraine.. so sensible.

[@talesfromthelab]

Greetings from Germany. Love British humor and love British making fun of Germany like e.g. Jeremy Clarkson and others :)

[@henriherz8498]

They are called "Stolpersteine", because the purpose is to stumble, so they have to be exactly like they are. The movie "Er ist wider da" is great like the book is as well. Hitler parodies are very popular, not to glorify but to show the insane person he was. Now a recommendation: You should watch a video about the "Hammbacher Fest", the origin of tries for gender and class equality and the actual german flag.

[@maikgreubel2685]

In my opion the stumble stones are one of the best memorials one can imagine. I don't think it disrespectful to "walk over" the person for which the stumble stone was implemented, but it is a trigger to always remember: "here a human being lived, which was either forced to fear or lost their life in this uncomparable time in history due to disrespect of life at all." We have to remember anytime - not feeling guilty but - to take care, that such an evil has to be stopped before it becomes to mighty to get stopped.And we need to stop it as a social community as a whole.

[@tronjeotten1510]

Another nice to know fact: The modern german army, the Bundeswehr, deemed the Wehrmacht and most of the imperial german army as not worthy of being military tradition. That goes for the east german army as well.

[@Schuft242]

Are the Stolpersteine disrespectful due to their positioning? Are the English disrespectful when walking over Henry VIII last resting place at St. George's Chapel? Are tourist similar to the Golden Horde trampling all over the honored burial sites at Westminster Abbey and every Cathedral in Europe? I don't think so. The stones are a memorial. They make you think about actual history and reflect on what happened. Can you honor someone more then by keeping the victims name alive and present in today's passerby's mind?

[@Anna-zi7sx]

I dislike the idea of the wall plates, they would be totally overlooked

[@lme4339]

13:54 I think if this way of dealing with past national crimes would be normalized internationally, we would have much less conflicts in the world nowadays.

[@black_platypus]

Oh! I actually thought Rachel was German and spoke with a very good British accent. Now I'm learning she's British and speaks with ... a tinge of a German accent? Is anyone else getting that or is it just me?

[@christophbreitenbach4112]

I am 67 - too young to have experienced that horrible time, but old enough to be concerned about the fact that nazi-like thinking spreads more and more in Europe, even again in Germany, especially in the eastern regions, where democratic structures apparently seem to be not yet rooted enough. The industrially organized extinction of the jews was a break of civilization never seen before. It was not a result of the German caracter but had been prepared over a long time in the history of Europe until it culminated into the nazi ideology. If Christ really had been rooted in the hearts of the people, this would never had been possible. We must be aware that comparable inhumanity IS still possible to happen again anywhere in the world. The last witnesses of that time pass away nowadays, but future generations MUST know what happened, so there is never told enough about that.

[@MellonVegan]

Just a thought bc of your first comment: We ARE "proud" of our country as maybe you'd think of it. But we would never call it pride. That is a very weird emotion to have. Pride is for achievements. You didn't achieve your nationality (well, unless you did by becoming a citizen later in life but you get my point), so being proud of it is just weird. We are glad to live here, happy to live here, we love our home and feel at home with out people,... whatever other way you could say we feel positive about our country. It's just that the word pride sounds nationalistic to us. It's not that we thing WE shouldn't be proud, it's that no one should bc that's not a helpful emotion to have in this context.

[@swanpride]

Also we define patriotism differently. For Us patriotism isn't about waving a flag or putting a flower on your label, but about improving your country. Being critical of the state is seen as better than blind adoration, as long as you are ready to respect and defend the concept of democracy.

[@TheRealAquaz]

I always describe it as not beeing proud but gratefull. I think this describes it the best and especially to americans with theire over the top patriotism. Its a contrast but a contrast that shows two different sides of a coin that often ( especially when seen from outside ) can be seen as the same

[@theatheobhv]

Totally agree. As Schopenhauer said: Die wohlfeilste Art des Stolzes hingegen ist der Nationalstolz. Denn er verrät in dem damit Behafteten den Mangel an individuellen Eigenschaften, auf die er stolz sein könnte, indem er sonst nicht zu dem greifen würde, was er mit so vielen Millionen teilt. Wer bedeutende persönliche Vorzüge besitzt, wird vielmehr die Fehler seiner eigenen Nation, da er sie beständig vor Augen hat, am deutlichsten erkennen. Aber jeder erbärmliche Tropf, der nichts in der Welt hat, darauf er stolz sein könnte, ergreift das letzte Mittel, auf die Nation, der er gerade angehört, stolz zu sein. Hieran erholt er sich und ist nun dankbarlich bereit, alle Fehler und Torheiten, die ihr eigen sind, mit Händen und Füßen zu verteidigen.

[@Lancor84]

Sorry but you are misinterpreting "pride." It's not being proud of being born in a nationality, it is pride on the achievements of your country. Most Germans are proud of this, obviously not all achievements. It's like being proud of your children or parents.

[@Findas88]

Yes it is true that the Bundeswehr is often ridiculed. Some say the Bundeswehr's purpose is to stop the enemy on the border untill military arrives. I like the stumbleing stones and the idea behind them. Yes you can tread on them but the idea is for me to "stumble" over a peace of history everyday and to see that it was here where the victims lived right in our community not outside but integrated. Sometimes they were given to the Nazi authorities by their very neighbors. I went to Hochschule Duesseldorf (University of Applied Sciences Duesseldorf) and in the Libruary was build into one of the warehouses of the old slaughterhouse of Duesseldorf. this slaughterhouse had a direct train connection and was close by to an Work camp. So jews were locked in this warehouse before loaded onto the train to other concentration and destruction camps. In the entry hall of this libruary there is a memorial to those who suffered there. So we live with our history and our resulting responsibility everyday. And mate it is good not to just blurt it into our faces but when you get to know a german it is totaly fine to try and discuss this topic with us. I for one like to show people the view most germans have on our history and what the nazis did and how it effects us germans today

[@lme4339]

The stumbling stones are made this way that everyone has bow down for the victims. Remember that this gesture means not only respect, but was also used for remorse and to show who has more power/is more important. Sorry, but those people criticizing stumbling stones should maybe research more. 10:40

[@Willensimperium]

An absolutely great video to see a broader perspective, more details about schools, about the history of denazification etc. is the one from "Today I Found Out": kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5TKoIahlN6abM0 I think you'd really like that :) (also very interesting to compare it with the vid about Japan from them to see the differences)

[@StefanHaeger]

Hi again, relating to this huge theme [particularly for a German like me] I get another satire person, SERDAR SOMUNCU ... "ja", his name is written in this way. He read "Mein Kampf" by Hitler on stage. May you're able to find something with subtitles ... Take a look on it please. The left party in the audience: "how can he show this on stage?! It's strictly forbidden !!" - the right wing of "Neo-Nazis" raised their hands fo a salute ... okay, he's turkish. After getting this information he was black-listed by them ... Stefan, Dortmund [again]

[@uhrenpfleger6007]

I find the statements in the interview very questionable. I also see it that my generation and that of my parents are not to blame for what happened. But at the same time we have a responsibility to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. And that is why processing is extremely important. Because we Germans are concerned with what happened back then. And so the topic should continue to be treated here in Germany.

[@silphonym]

I would recommend you "History of Germany - Documentary" by the KZbin channel Fire of Learning if you want a good run down of what happened up to modern day Germany. It's probably too long for a single of your reaction videos (it's around an hour), but maybe you could split it up.

[@Smeik100]

The thing with architecture is more complex. You cannot just say "I have a building, why not use it" or "make it a memorial". It's complex. Nazis used architecture to transport messages. The buildings are therefore often huge. You must be able to put it in context. For example if I remember correctly the federal archive is in an Nazi Military school and after founding the USA said they would not visit the archive because of its location

[@hackbyte]

10:50 These stones are purposefully called 'stumbling stones' .. because, you srsly don't step or stand on them.... That would be really disrespectful. Besides that. Well even in modern smartphone times, you can't miss them.. And at times you walk past some of them twice on a daily basis for example on your way to and from work or something..... So .. well........... i think my actually jewish dad (wo died in 88 sadly) would have been ok with it. ;)

[@no-dg2vl]

Theres military police guarding the british embassy for 20 years now they bogged down half the street. Why not leave Vienna.

[@Andreas-e1z]

Paul Nipkov had the idea, i think he inventet it. TV

[@Kskskskskskskdkdmfjfhdb]

Mate. If you ever visit germany you can stay for free and i give you a tour trough the city of konstanz. Aoart from that all of your questions can be discussed.

[@leebowski5261]

Well, i understand that it is a problem thing to walk on a stumbling stone by feet. but on the oher side,if you step on it, isnt it a way to get a close contact to our history? let me know if im wrong

[@anmaniemann]

I stumbeld across your channel a while ago and really enjoy your view and comments about various topics and in special the commedians in Germany. This time i feel strongly forced to comment cause i oppose some of your view points. Besides the struggle about the "Nazi architecture" which is quite dominant and communicating the "Fuehrer" idea of Nazi propaganda it's in special your comment regading the "Stolpersteine" I have to say, it doesn't surprise me that Munich banned the setup of them on public grounds as it always was a stronghold of "the "Nazi Ideology" but for me they are the most important part of memorizing the victims. 6mio jidish victims is only a number but to see their names in the neigberhood, realizing them as a part of the community has a much stronger impact. Just the statement of an 60year old german. Wehret den Anfaengen! Ok, i just finished and saw the Munich solution. Still don't think thats ok cause I waked through Munich several times and never recogniced any of them - The stumbling stones have a much stronger impact.

[@matthiasRaZieL]

i got the book as a present "ER is wieder da "(Look who is back") and a rode it in 2 days and i liked it... Than comes x-mas family Dinner and i said , found that book funny. My Parents were obseted ..., how de fuck is Hitler funny, german History is not funny!( of course the thing about there parents what they did,... one of them was a WAr-Photograph-Reporter with a looot of evidence , and the over was in the metal-work, Bullets ,nails, screwws and Stuff) which sound not bad on a scale.... and i said the castrophe of one generation is the joke of the next, all were obsede, but my youngest uncle (the little brother of my mom,who serves in the militarie) said , i´m right...jokes the world laughs about are more helpfull then walls in your head! Thx Günther

[@valeriedavidson2785]

I note that you are British. I am British. Whatever our history - a lot of which I am extremely proud of - nothing compares to the atrocities of the Nazis. I remember our cities being bombed when I was a small child. I will never be interested in Germany as a country and I am pleased that I am not German.

[@TexasChilliMassacre]

Actually it should be called how german deal with the darkest lies.

[@MissSeyton]

7:20 Dude! What?? Sure... Wow. That is a shockingly stupid thing to say! AFD, Putin, Trump, Erdogan...

[@bjorndehoust5768]

...what do you think about the Scottish independence?

[@ColdRoland]

The curriculum in Germany about this period is absoltely dreadful. It seemed like 3/4ths of every school year, from 5th grade to 10th grade, history class would deal with World War 2, what lead up to, the NSDAP, Hitler, his henchmen and our responsibility as a country. It just got boring after a while. I didn't care anymore. You can try to hammer guilt into my head all you want, but I'm not being educated when I'm bored, hearing about a topic for 5 years. My own research into the topic was much more interesting and educating to me. Especially on how horrendous and huge the damage was, that our grandfathers inflicted. None of that was mentioned in school.

[@Sciss0rman]

Back when I was in the German army (25 years ago), I had to go to an Army Hospital in a big city. I obviously had to wear my uniform. When I arrived in the city of Hamburg, I was spit on and yelled at, almost the entire time. So, yes... There is/was some kind of hate against the German military.

[@AnsgarBeowulf]

It is the last. These stones are only there to make us live in guilt.

[@Baerenpapa007]

The problem with things invented or revealed during NAZI Germany is how were these results produced? There exist medical data from very unhuman experiments that could be useful for fighting against future or currently not healably diseases. But can you simply use these data from an ethic perspective? Or do you just say 'they are dead anyway, let's make at least something 'useful' from their deaths?' And if you decide to use them, how far will then be the next step to gain new data?

[@hannahm.b.6315]

It is an interesting question. But at least regarding medical research done in concentration camps, which is what I personally know about (it was discussed in my medical degree) it's actually an irrelevant question because there aren't helpful findings. A lot of these "experiments" focused on goals we don't have. How far human bodies can stretch. They inoculated people with diseases and documented stages - we don't need that now we have vaccinations. They did series of experiments for protecting military- how long can you stay in freezing water, at different air pressures.It's irrelevant. They also focused on "genetic health" and different methods of sterilising or effectively killinv many people as an alternative to gas. Irrelevant. The scientific importance is hugely overrated. An actual problem is what to do with university research and the tradition of honouring the discoverer by naming the disease after them. These people were often high level university leaders and so desktop involved in the T4 Action for murder of handicapped or other unwanted patients, but that was not directly related to their lab research. The tendency is to rename the diseases to more practical names - which is better anyway. Good example is "Wegeners Disease" which is now called " Granulomatosis with Polyvaskulitis. But some of the renamed diseases have been heavily discussed because it is not always easy to establish guilt so long after and families protested that their ancestors have been branded unfairly.

[@st0lf]

It is so frustrating to see the AfD grow in popularity. I mean the right wing shift is very noticeable across Europe and the west in general, but here in Germany it is just such an embarrassment. It just shows that there are far too few measures in place that would prevent such a thing. Our constitution isn't weak by any means, but it is still exploitable and a party like the AfD can and will make use of that. Tabloid press and even some state affiliated media outlets are far too comfortable with fear mongering and play right into the rights hands. It hurts to see family members who were life long SPD (social democrats) voters flip over to such an extreme party, just because they don't understand the implications of putting them in power. I see so many people who actually believe that the AfD would improve things for them without knowing what their policies actually say. I hope democracy survives this new wave of fascism in Europe, but whether or not it will, we will need to put anti-fascism into the constitution to prevent this from ever happening again. There's nothing good that can come from it and we should never protect fascism under the guise of political freedom. Fascism is the death of political freedom and should be treated as such. It cannot be allowed to enjoy the same privileges other politics do. Yes there are measures that limit its power. Funding cuts, threat of bans, censorship, etc. But when funding and a public platform can be provided despite that, the threat of bans means very little. I am of the opinion that fascist propaganda, including fear mongering, rage and hate baiting, etc. should be heavily criminalized and that providing funding to far right parties should be outlawed. Democracy can only be self preserving if its enemies don't get to participate.

[@wolfgangweber2516]

the german past is as dark as of any other country if you a little history

[@CptRedexCC--]

I love watching your videos, but I wonder what is the reason why you are so interested in Germany?!

[@Turkey1876]

i mean yeah ther are more ww2 doks in germany then in other countrys but its just on like on chanel from Funk .

[@bettinaknoll2400]

I can't believe, that we talk about this time only in Germany. What's with the other Country's? This make so many Germans sick. tired and also angry. And I can understand this. What's with the mistakes of all the other countries between 1933-1945?

[@tehweh8202]

Whataboutism doesn't solve anything, does it now?

[@Matthias_Br]

Which dark past?