2020 №1 (66) Article 10

Danilova E. V.

German Historiography of the Nazi Euthanasia Program  and the Tidal Wave of Historical

Memory  in the Federal Republic of Germany P. 79-87.

UDC 930.1(430)(09)

The article focuses on the way German historiography treats the Nazi euthanasia program. It maintains that historical and psychiatric research is instigated by the tidal wave of historical memory of the German past marred by appalling crimes against psychiatric patients committed under the National Socialist reign. The analysis of works related to the aforementioned topic enables the author of the article to conclude that the appearance and the content of research papers conform to one of the three periods of historical investigation. In the post-war period when the heinous practices were hushed up, the number of publications related to the topic was exceedingly small, all publications were initiated by individual researchers. The state-controlled memory policy didn’t instigate the recognition of psychiatrists’ criminal actions nor did it grant the victims of euthanasia killings a right to be commemorated. The article shows that some research papers initiated changes in social attitudes to the National Socialist past. At the end of the 20th century the commemoration of victims of euthanasia killings was an issue of local significance. The article maintains that the problem of recognizing the victims of euthanasia killings has a long history and is associated with the transformation of social awareness, social problems and official discourse in German society.

 

victims of euthanasia killings; historical memory; medical crimes; National Socialist psychiatry; Nazi euthanasia program; historical research

 

References

 

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