“78 years ago Germany and the world were liberated from the tyranny of National Socialism. We will always be grateful for that” – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted on the anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II, as if Germany had been invaded and enslaved by mythical Nazis.
These words can be read as another stage of Germany shedding responsibility for their monstrous, racist crimes. Judging by the increasingly absurd statements of German politicians, it is impossible not to get the impression that soon in Berlin they will claim that the Germans were attacked and enslaved by the Nazis before World War II, so they are not guilty of their crimes, although Adolf Hitler came to power with broad support of the German public. All this to avoid paying compensation to the victims of German genocidal policy and their families. Germany’s actions in this matter are both brazen and consistent. It is worth recalling that it was not Poland that first raised the issue of reparations for World War II, but Germany. The same Germany that raised this genocidal hell demanded compensation from Poland for the lands annexed to our country after World War II – the executioner demanded compensation from the victim [sic!]. It was then that Poland decided to recall who the victim was and to issue a bill for German crimes.
For decades, Germans have been trying to take the blame off themselves by casting it on the “Nazis”, as if these mythical Nazis were not Germans, but visitors from some foreign country. The statement of Olaf Scholz, who stated that “78 years ago Germany and the world were liberated from the tyranny of National Socialism” and expressed gratitude for this, is part of this policy. If we combine this with the building of a European federation under the aegis of Germany expressed in the coalition agreement of the German government, we can clearly see that Berlin sees “Germany’s liberation from the tyranny of National Socialism” as one of the founding myths of the Fourth Reich. Whitewashing Germany to make the criminals “victims of the Nazis” will definitely make it easier for them to subjugate the states of the community, because it will dull the image of Germany as a ruthless aggressor and place it in the row of victims. Then it will be easier for them to hide their position of strength.
And the fact that Germany takes a position of violence is clearly visible in the matter of reparations for Poland. Confident in the strength of their politics and the so-called soft power, in a way completely unbecoming of a civilized country, declare that the subject of reparations is closed. At the same time, they carry out political, institutional and capital aggression against the countries of the European Union, including Poland. They do not hide that they want to dominate Europe, but not by military means, because they have drawn conclusions from the defeat in World War II, although in fact they have never – apart from empty verbal declarations – cut themselves off from the Third Reich.
The continuation of the Third Reich after World War II took place in the political, institutional and economic spheres. It is therefore not enough to say “mea culpa” and kneel in front of the monument to the victims, as Willy Brandt did. There is a need for real compensation, which would prove both the purity of intentions and the opening of a new, healthy chapter in mutual relations. There was no such thing. Instead of real actions and compensation, we were dealing with expiatory empty words, and yet “by their deeds you will know them”.
And it is not true that “78 years ago Germany was liberated from the tyranny of National Socialism”. National Socialism, despite its efforts, lost the war, but remained in power wearing only democratic feathers – few criminals were brought to justice before the Nuremberg tribunal, the rest found their place in the new state authorities. Nor did it give up his imperial plans, which the more enlightened European politicians were aware of, hence the attempts to neutralize the potential German threat undertaken, among others, by Robert Schuman. Germany still remains aggressive and imperial, and it is scary to think what fate awaits the European Union countries if Berlin implements its federal plans and gains power over them.
Anna Wiejak