Permanent Exhibition "History - Violence - Conscience"

Room 5/6: Everyday life, at a cost

Society was shattered by war and dictatorship.
If Germany were to anewed become a democracy, then it would have to find a way to deal with the past.

The process of denazification started by the Allies lost its effectiveness under German leadership.
From 1951 on, those who had been seen as politically intolerable were able to return into state service.
This was also the case for numerous police officers who had taken part in Nazi crimes.

In contrast, Germany later on only reluctantly decided to at least offer material compensation to persecutees: their representatives and the Allies first had to create pressure until according laws were passed in the 1950s.
For years, other groups were favoured – disabled ex-servicemen, bombed-out people and expellees received aid far more vigorously and faster.

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