How Germany Rebuilt Its Soul After WWII

The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History · Sep 18, 2026 · 7m · transcript

This episode explores the cultural and intellectual reconstruction of West Germany in the decades following World War II, moving beyond the physical rebuilding of cities to examine how a nation confronted its past. We focus on the concept of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, or coming to terms with the past, and how it manifested in literature, law, and public memory. The conversation centers on key figures like Heinrich Böll, whose writings captured the moral ambiguity of the post-war era, and the landmark Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, which forced German society to witness the industrial scale of…