The Beast Reawakens - Martin Lee

When the Red Army Faction described the West German state as fascist, liberals and conservatives alike were unanimous in denouncing the accusation as leftist rhetoric. More than that Ulrike Meinhoff, Andreas Baader and others engaged in armed struggle were denounced as ‘Hitler’s Children’. West Germany had been de-Nazified, had it not? The new model, democratic West Germany was shorn of authoritarian aspirations, the ‘tiny minority’ of Nazi fanatics had been punished. Germany was safe and clean and well-behaved. The most important point to emerge from Martin Lee’s book is that de-Nazification was a cursory, superficial affair. ...