Die Tat als Bild : Fotografien des Holocaust in der deutschen Erinnerungskultur

Examines the postwar reactions of the German public to photographs relating to the Holocaust which appeared in the press. Photographs of war crimes, cadavers in liberated concentration camps, and survivors on the brink of death were provided by the Allies in 1945 and placed the Germans close to the crimes both geographically and mentally (i.e. in their consciousness) at a time when the crimes were being vehemently denied. In a second stage, during the founding years of the BRD, Germans considered themselves victims of Nazism, as well as war victims, and the Nazi past was silenced. Between 1955-65 photographs of Nazi crimes reappeared in daily newspapers, journals, textbooks, films, and exhibitions. At this stage, Auschwitz designated the ultimate narrative of war crimes, the interpretation of which codified the culture of remembrance through the 1990s. Includes some photographs. 1. Aufl. 1120 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm