Although one subject currently dominates German-Polish relations above all else – the culture of remembrance relating to the consequences of the war – this is no grounds for panic. Reporting on the neighbouring country is more extensive in Poland than many people think. For Poles, Germany in 2009 is also a country facing economic crisis and inspired by an exciting football Bundesliga. It has recently also become known for its “wrecking bonus” for old cars and its rising birth rate. Interest in various topics from Germany has not always been as strong. I was born in 1972 and can still remember a time when the image of Germany was much more strongly influenced by the Second World War than it is today. When I look back on my schooldays, I can still remember old schoolbooks and various films. Germans usually always looked the same: in uniform and armed. Now people have recognized the problem in both countries and are taking a closer look at the compulsory reading material. A German-Polish history book is also planned.
Nevertheless, I still wonder why the old wounds re-open so easily. What would the situation be if the Federal Republic had pursued a different policy towards Poland during the first decades after the war and had not refused to recognize the Oder-Neisse border? Would we now be better able to deal with the debate about mass expulsions? The end of the ice age that Willy Brandt initiated in 1970 by recognizing Poland’s western border did not only enable diplomatic relations, but also brought about positive changes for people in both countries. In 1976 Gdansk and Bremen established the first of now 400 German-Polish city partnerships. When martial law was imposed in 1981, millions of Germans sent parcels to Polish families – a reason for many Poles to reconsider their opinion of Germany.
It is thus all the more surprising when you hear some of the arguments about the “culture of remembrance” today – and this applies to both countries. You only need to look back to the year 1989. Although just 20 years have passed, very few Germans actually remember what happened before the fall of the Wall. When history-conscious Poles proudly recall their contribution, many of their German friends do not understand what contribution they mean. Again and again you discover that many people think that first the Wall collapsed and then the eastern bloc. That shocks Poles and is why the country has recently taken up a more assertive position than in the past. The Polish Embassy in Berlin, for example, is responding with large posters that say: “Everything began at the Round Table.”
This campaign aims to make people think. In peacetime, however, for most people history just means the past and they are more interested in the present. A small break from history will not necessarily harm our relationship. When young Poles and Germans first become friends, they find it easier to speak about history later. How could it be any different – for years now we have been hearing politicians saying that we are currently experiencing a chapter of shared history that is the best for almost a thousand years.
