The far-right leader pushing Germans to forget the Nazi past

Key Points:

• Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a far-right AfD lawmaker in Saxony-Anhalt, is leading efforts to reshape Germany’s postwar identity by downplaying the Nazi past and promoting a renewed German pride, aiming to shift the cultural focus away from the Holocaust and Nazi crimes.
• The AfD’s platform in Saxony-Anhalt, authored by Tillschneider, proposes revising school curricula to emphasize figures like Bismarck over Hitler, cutting funding for “anti-German art,” and promoting “patriotic tourism,” while maintaining some memorials that honor soldiers from both world wars.
• This identity shift is gaining traction primarily in eastern Germany, where many see the West German narrative on Nazi history as imposed, and where the AfD is close to gaining a parliamentary majority in the upcoming state election.
• Supporters argue the current culture of remembrance fosters unnecessary guilt and self-loathing, advocating instead for celebrating broader German achievements and cultural heritage, while critics warn this approach risks minimizing the significance of Germany’s Nazi past.
• Tillschneider denies wanting Germans to forget the Nazi era but envisions a future where this history is less urgent and intrusive in public life, reflecting a broader far-right strategy to redefine national identity and challenge Germany’s postwar democratic consensus.