The Politics of the Nazi Past in Germany and Austria [Paperback]

This book compares the influence of the Nazi past in contemporary German and Austrian politics.This book compares the influence of the Nazi past in contemporary German and Austrian politics. In Germany, the process of dealing with the past has created a culture of contrition that keeps the far right marginalized politically. By contrast, many Austrians have presented themselves as victims of Nazism and deny that Austrians share much complicity in Nazi crimes. The far right Freedom party of Jorg Haider was able to become a political force in this environment. This book should be of interest to those interested in the memory of Nazism and the Holocaust, the rise of far right parties in Europe, and contemporary German and Austrian politics.This book compares the influence of the Nazi past in contemporary German and Austrian politics. In Germany, the process of dealing with the past has created a culture of contrition that keeps the far right marginalized politically. By contrast, many Austrians have presented themselves as victims of Nazism and deny that Austrians share much complicity in Nazi crimes. The far right Freedom party of Jorg Haider was able to become a political force in this environment. This book should be of interest to those interested in the memory of Nazism and the Holocaust, the rise of far right parties in Europe, and contemporary German and Austrian politics.This book argues that Germans and Austrians have dealt with the Nazi past very differently--with important consequences for political culture and partisan politics. David Art analyzes how public debates about the lessons of history created a culture of contrition in Germany that prevented a resurgent far right from consolidating itself in German politics after unification. By contrast, public debates in Austria nourished a culture of victimization that provided a hospitable environment for the rise of right-wing populism. The volume is for those interested in the memory of Nazism and thlÃ&