“Vergangenheitsbewältigung ("overcoming the past") is generally associated with Germany's process of coming to terms with the history of National Socialism and the Holocaust. Immediately after the war, the occupying Allied powers in Germany made efforts to "de-Nazify" the way Germans viewed the world. The process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung continued over the next several decades in court, with the Nuremberg and Eichmann trials, for example, as well as in academic circles, among the political class and through the media. Germans struggled not only to understand how Nazi atrocities could have come about but what the past meant for the next generation. Since 1989, the term Vergangenheitsbewältigung has been also used in the context of dealing with the East German communist dictatorship.”
For more information visit Deutsche Welle (DW) - Media company https://www.dw.com/en/vergangenheitsbew%C3%A4ltigung/a-6614103
Andrea Moni has German relatives from Neuwied, a small town that was bombed frequently . Her mother, Grandmother and Aunts endured living through World War II. In 1945, conditions deteriorated to the point that Neuwied residents were ordered to evacuate to the countryside for their safety. The elderly, women and children were assigned an apartment within a house for shelter. When the bombing's started the family had to seek safety in the basement of the home. Unfortunately, this shelter turned out to be near the Remagen Bridge, which was a site of strategic importance. The Allied forces sought to capture control of this bridge and, in defense, Germans tried to prevent them from gaining control by destroying the bridge. Rockets, artillery and mortar from both sides whistled overhead or hit nearby the shelters. Finally, the Allied forces succeeded in capturing the bridge, giving them a foothold on the eastern bank of the Rhine River opening Germany up to invasion. Once the bombing ceased, soldiers beckoned the people outside, handing out bars of chocolate to the children as they passed by. While the citizens can never forget the trauma they endured, they had visions of a better life.
This mixed media painting represents this pivotal event in the life of many German’s during that era. A young girl rises from scenes of the horrors of war and from the ashes of destruction. The viewer is reminded that, no matter the side, all people are victimized by war. The girl reaches towards the light and towards a new life; one of peace, prosperity and freedom. The white roses are homages to the anti-Nazi political activist, Sophie Scholl, who was beheaded by the Nazis in 1943 for distributing leaflets. She was only 21 years of age. The words are a brave call for justice and a new society.
