The Truth About Nazi Resurgence in Europe - Elon you are dead wrong bro!

Germany’s Historical Amnesia and the Rise of the Far Right from a Polish Perspective

I was born in Poland in the 1980s, a time when the scars of World War II were still deeply embedded in the consciousness of every Polish family. The destruction, the loss, the mass graves—this was not just history for us. It was our grandparents’ lived experience, our parents’ painful inheritance, and our responsibility to remember. But memory, as I’ve come to see, is not evenly distributed across borders.

In the 1990s, we were part of something bigger. Europe was healing, and I was fortunate enough to take part in a Polish-German student exchange program. We were young, idealistic, and genuinely believed that a new generation could bridge historical wounds. Our German peers were educated about the war, about their country’s role, and about why it was essential to never let fascism return. We had open, difficult, but meaningful conversations. We were learning together, understanding each other, moving forward.

Fast forward to 2024, and I feel nothing but disappointment and anger. How did we end up here, with a rising far-right movement in Germany, with young Germans parroting the rhetoric of their grandparents' darkest days? How did a nation that once carried the weight of guilt with painful responsibility end up raising a generation that seems disturbingly indifferent to it?

The answer is simple and infuriating, the last two decades of German politics have been a masterclass in historical irresponsibility.

The Failure of German Education and Political Leadership

For years, Germany was admired for its Vergangenheitsbew?ltigung—its reckoning with the past. The Holocaust memorials, the education system that ensured no student graduated without understanding Auschwitz, the acknowledgment of guilt and responsibility. But somewhere along the way, complacency set in. The younger generation, especially Gen Z, grew up in an era where history was reduced to an academic exercise rather than a moral obligation.

The German education system stopped making it clear why remembering was essential. Political correctness replaced necessary moral clarity. Instead of fortifying young minds against extremism, Germany's cultural gatekeepers focused on creating a fragile, easily offended generation that prefers to "move on" rather than confront uncomfortable truths. The last 20 years saw a shift from historical accountability to self-indulgent guilt-fatigue, and the consequences are terrifying.

A Direct Consequence of Irresponsible Governance - the right wing surge :/

Let’s not pretend this happened in a vacuum. The rise of Germany’s far-right—AfD’s popularity among younger voters, the normalisation of nationalist rhetoric—is not just some organic political shift. It is the direct consequence of a government that has failed to provide a compelling, unifying national identity grounded in responsibility.

For years, German politicians ignored growing social frustrations. Immigration policies were handled with stunning incompetence—swinging between moral grandstanding and complete detachment from reality. Economic shifts left many Germans feeling abandoned. Instead of engaging in serious debates, the mainstream political class dismissed any criticism as "racist" or "xenophobic," pushing frustrated citizens straight into the arms of extremists. And now, to no one's surprise except perhaps their own, the far right is capitalising on this alienation.

But here’s the worst part, these new extremists don’t even feel bound by the shame their grandparents carried. When I hear young Germans today scoffing at Poland’s warnings about Russia, mocking historical grievances, or even downplaying their own country’s past crimes, I see the final proof that something went deeply wrong. The lessons we once believed were learned have been abandoned.

What Needs to Change?

Germany needs to wake up. This isn’t just about Poland, or Europe, or some abstract moral concern. This is about Germany itself. The seeds of extremism that the country once so carefully worked to uproot are growing again, watered by neglect, complacency, and political cowardice.

German schools need to go back to teaching history not as a distant tragedy but as a personal, national responsibility. Young Germans must be made to understand why their grandparents' guilt was justified and why it still matters

Stop treating young people as fragile creatures who can’t handle difficult discussions. Engage them in honest debates about history, identity, and responsibility.

Instead of dismissing the far right’s rise as a mere consequence of “angry, stupid voters,” acknowledge that years of bad policies, unchecked immigration mismanagement, and economic disparities fuelled the resentment they now exploit.

You cannot claim to be an anti-fascist country while tolerating the erosion of historical awareness. Condemn Nazi rhetoric with the same fervore, whether it comes from the fringes of the AfD or from revisionists trying to downplay history.

A Polish Warning

As a Pole, I do not speak from a place of condescension but from a place of deep frustration. I once believed in German-Polish reconciliation. I saw it firsthand in my youth, and I know it was possible. But reconciliation is not just about forgetting and moving on. It is about a shared, honest reckoning with history. And right now, Germany is failing.

Poland has not forgotten. We remember what happens when Germany looks the other way while extremism festers. We remember what happens when nationalism turns toxic. And we remember that the cost of ignoring the past is always paid in blood.

It is time for Germany to remember too.