German Perceptions of Collective Guilt in the Aftermath of World War II

Ori Gilboa, University of Toronto
Ron Levi, University of Toronto

This paper explores understandings of collective guilt in the immediate aftermath of war and atrocity. It does so by analyzing a novel set of semi-structured interviews done with approximately 100 non-Jewish Germans from diverse backgrounds on the topic of collective guilt of Germany. The interviews were conducted a year or less after the end of the war at the behest of an American psychiatrist who was associated with the American Information Control Division. These individuals, who include both those aligned with the Nazi party and those distanced from it, also supply biographical and trajectory information to supplement the content of their reflections. At its core, this study grapples with the question of how individuals, ranging from ardent supporters of the Nazi regime to vehement resisters, perceived and grappled with the collective guilt associated with Germany's wartime actions. Through content analysis, we aim to unravel the narratives embedded in these interviews, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of guilt as perceived by both perpetrators and resisters. Additionally, through matching of reflections with biographical and trajectory information, we seek to discern patterns and variations in individuals’ conceptualizations of their own culpability and that of the collective. Weaving together personal reflections and contextualizing them through the social position of respondents, this paper aims to shed light at how individuals make sense of atrocities in their immediate aftermath, and the biographical factors that are related to different reflections. This research contributes to the sociological understanding of post-atrocity reckonings. By exploring divergent perspectives within a heterogeneous sample, the study not only unveils the complexities of guilt attribution but also provides a nuanced portrayal of the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by actors reeling from the impact of war and genocide.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 101. Crime, Justice and the Law