FWIW, I think the fear of the Germans is much larger than warranted. True, there are a couple of thousand extremists. These mostly come from the former eastern German states as nationalism was a big part of the propaganda during the communistic times there. But overall the German secret police is estimating them at "only" 3000 to 4000, out of an 85 million population. The extreme left wing in Germany is hundreds of times as big.
I wonder how many members and symphatisants the KKK has in the US?!
Then take France, Le Pen made it up to 30% of votes in some southern French state a couple of yers back. He lost a lot of followeres in the meantime. Take Heider in Austria, he made it into the ruling circles, he also is on his way down. Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, openly made some letting down remarks about arabs being untermenschen. He recently offered a German representative in the European Parliament during his opeing speech as president a role in a to be made Third Reich film in Italy because he "resembles some of the required abilities in that film", which caused serious diplomatic tensions between Germany and Italy.
I believe it is save to say that the extreme right wing is a lot bigger in France, Austria (after all Hitler was an Austrian, many Americans don't know that) and Italy than it is in Germany.
I have personally cut ties to an uncle of mine after he showed me his "secret chamber". In a hidden small room of his house he had a big map of the Third Reich and other nazi utensils. I never heard him talk nazi but this showed his true thinking. How big that part of the population might be is of course difficult to gauge.
I can tell you Zeev, I am turning 43 this year and if I think back, German TV was littered with Nazi and Third Reich documentations, films and discussions until well into the latter part of the Eighties. Until then there was a Nazi or war film on German TV every day], every day. Mostly these were French or American made, some English and there were German films about that theme. But apart of these the Nazi history of Germany had been discussed, dissected and talked to death in German media during more than half my life. There was a point I plainly couldn't stand it any more.
I love France and lived there for a year. While doing a trip to La Rochelle -ng- I was physically attacked for the simple reason of being German, also throughout Normandie people still haven't forgotten nor forgiven. I can understand these people knowing what cruel history my country has, alas it was not my fault.
Thank God there is time, time that weeds out such people as my uncle (he is 78, I hear he is not in good shape and worsening) and all others like him. That part of the population nowadays is a very small percentage, though I have no numbers in detail. Napoleon was running over Europe and killing millions while his army raped every woman in their way. But that is a less recent history than that of the Nazis, the last catastrophy always is the one most memorized. I sincerely hope that it will not take another horroract to make people forgive the living population of my country but the international realisation that there have come new Germans after my ashaming anchestors and the new crop is a lot better.
There is absolutely no sentiment among 95% of the German population that would only in the slightest aim at taking back any of the former German soil you mentioned. That is history and it will remain history.
I can absolutely assure you that the vast majority of (living) Germans is among the best democrats in the world, with no other shortcomings than the average American.
Culmus
ps. I just wished they also turned into better market oriented economists. -gg-
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