The "Crimes of the Wehrmacht" Exhibition (1995-1999) and its Contribution to the German Culture of Memory about the Nazi Past

Abstract

The subject of this article is the discussion about one of the most resonant historical expositions in post-war Germany’s history, the exhibit "A War of Extermination. The Crimes of the Wehrmacht from 1941 to 1944". The author interprets the historical background and historiographical context of the exhibition. The main issue under consideration is the historical myth of a "clean" Wehrmacht, an idea that gained widespread consensus in West Germany during decades before German reunification in 1990. The conception of the exhibition is described, the chronology of the debate is reconstructed and the positions of its main participants are considered. The author considers the reception of the exhibition by German mass media and by political and academic elites of the FRG. The reactions and opinions of wider social strata about the exhibition are analyzed; including that of the Second World War veterans and the representatives of Wehrmacht soldiers’ children and grandchildren. In conclusion, the author examines the influence of the exhibition and its related debate on the culture of memory about the totalitarian Nazi past in Germany. Considering the major public response and nationwide scope, the exhibition "A War of Extermination. The Crimes of the Wehrmacht from 1941 to 1944" can be considered to be one of the most successful European projects of historical-political enlightenment and "working-through" of a country’s totalitarian past.