Confronting the Past? Public Norms, Private Truths, and the Politics of Memory in Post-WWII Germany

How do nations confront a history of past atrocities? Can public efforts to address the past shift private views, or do they merely establish social norms fostering the misrepresentation of stigmatized preferences? A prime example of confronting the past is post-war Germany, shaped by the legacy of Nazism's atrocities in World War II. Decades later, we examine how public recognition of collective guilt through discourse, education, and culture has shaped German identity and attitudes towards the country's history. Using a nationally representative survey and an experimental treatment, we distinguish private preferences from their public expression. Our findings reveal that low national pride and muted emotional ties to German history are internalized rather than driven by social desirability. However, a stigma persists around publicly expressing a desire to move beyond a perpetrator-focused narrative. This study underscores both the potential and the limits of the public recognition of a nation’s historical sins.