Integration Nightmare

Tomorrow, September 6, elections for the regional government will be held in one of Germany’s federal states Saxony-Anhalt. The Alternative for Germany – a mix of fascists, neo-Nazis, and other far-right forces – could become the governing party, winning an absolute majority in the state parliament. Such a result would give it the ability to control the courts, police, education, and infrastructure. How did it come to pass that Germans are once again marching toward “Greater Germany”™ while nobody knows how to resist the new brown plague?

The most violent element in society is ignorance. – Emma Goldman

Among many anarchists and anti-fascists, there is a widespread belief that Germans are exceptionally reflective when it comes to the history of neo-Nazism, genocide, and the Holocaust. One could even try, in part, to explain the political movement known as the Antideutsch through the lens of guilt.

When telling comrades about what is happening to Germany’s left-wing and anti-fascist movement, this historical sense of guilt comes up most often. As you travel through major German cities, you can see parts of the infrastructure that are supposedly meant to foster an understanding of the past and of possible ways forward. Dozens or even hundreds of NGOs funded by the state organize educational events both for younger generations and for adult Germans. It all sounds logical and, in some sense, really should influence how German society sees itself from a historical perspective.

In reality, many Germans today sympathize with fascists more than at any time since the Federal Republic was established after the destruction of the Third Reich. And for now, the trend is moving upward. One might think that there is no need even to study history here – just look at a country like Russia. But instead of seeing a collapsing authoritarian regime, some Germans see Putin as a strong hand leading society toward a bright future of slavery.

Of course, one can blame migration or refugees. One can blame the weather, “wokeness”, feminism, or anything else in an attempt to explain the society’s turn to the right. But the reality lies much deeper. One of its hidden aspects is precisely the cult of guilt that both the right and the left outside Germany like to talk about.

From my perspective, during all the time I have spent in Germany, I have never once encountered a cult of guilt. Yes, the country holds commemorative events in memory of the Holocaust and other crimes committed by German society during the Nazi regime. But these events are largely symbolic, attract relatively little public attention, and take place mostly in the background of the country’s actual political activity.

Many German anti-fascists and leftists – including Antideutsch activists, who can partly be classified as belonging to the right wing of the political spectrum – have a poor grasp of historical facts. Although history lessons in Germany focus on the Nazi past, they often leave out important nuances concerning what happened before the start of the Second World War and after its end. The role of the Nazis in the political life of the Federal Republic is also not examined particularly closely. The “horrors” of the Red Army Faction and other left-wing and anarchist terrorist groups are still filtered through the liberal ideological lens of peaceful resistance. One can also add that German education deals relatively superficially with the history of neighboring countries – not to mention political theory. I was surprised to see how positively the Soviet system influenced my school curriculum in the 1990s and 2000s (here, it should be mentioned that I do not deny the dogmatic way in which Soviet ideologues presented the past)

As a result, all of this produces fragmentary knowledge of a few basic facts even among politicized young people. Statements about historical responsibility toward Jews or other oppressed groups are often made on the basis of reading a few comments on social media, rather than even a superficial consideration of what actually happened.

At the same time, many problematic views among German anti-fascists – for example, their unconditional support for Israel – are not based on a deep understanding of the problem or on an emotional sympathy for what happened to Jews in the past. In my experience, some local anti-fascists are extremely arrogant toward both Jews and representatives of other groups, including those from their own political camp in other countries. I have come to feel that some Germans on the left suffer from a kind of messianism, explaining everything through the region’s unique historical experience. Political discussions – even discussions about facts – turn into conversations about how someone is once again trying to explain your own history to you. This attitude is highly problematic, because messianism in itself quickly creates hierarchies within communities.

This atmosphere of political ignorance, both within the left and within the liberal camp, has become one of the key factors behind the growth of far-right forces in the country itself. “Complicated” concepts of equality and justice are quickly sacrificed in favor of stability and security – things desired not only by the far right, but also by liberals and a significant part of the left.

The mere existence of basic education about the history of Nazism and authoritarianism can be considered a positive factor. But fascism is not simply a theory from the past that can be stopped in the classroom. To confront fascism and new forms of authoritarianism, younger generations need viable alternatives and practical education about participation in the political life of society. An electoral system based on limited public involvement in decision-making does nothing to develop institutions of civic participation. Nor does the absence of an analysis of past mistakes help create a more just future. German society, despite being one of the wealthiest on the planet, has never truly restored justice to those whom it killed, robbed, and turned into slaves. And compromises with historical facts, along with liberals’ disregard for existing problems, can sooner or later easily turn into compromises with the far right and fascists in the name of preserving peace and stability in the region.