The talk about Angela Merkel centered around her use of memory politics, and how this was able to separate her from previous German leaders when they discussed the events that occurred in World War 2. The talk was very informative for me as I did not have much prior knowledge of Merkel, or what she had done in her many years as Chancellor. However, a question from a student after the talk raised an important question that had been a theme of the talk from the beginning. He referenced how Merkel’s constant use of the words guilt and shame would eventually cast her as someone who was anti German, an interesting paradox for someone who has led the country for so long. This style of memory politics is something that obviously has its positives and negatives, and involves walking a tight line between empathy, and self loathing.
It was clear from the beginning of the talk that the speaker had a very high opinion of Merkel and how she was able to use her position of influence to generate more accountability for german actions during World War II. When it was mentioned that approximately two thirds of her speeches referenced the troubling past of Germany, it seemed like a staggering number. After seeing the large number of references to the past, it seemed that either the speaker was viewing Merkel through rose colored glasses, or those references to the past are not very substantial in nature. Either way, Merkel’s agenda is clear in emphasizing German accountability.
Something that the question posed after the talk somewhat hinted at as well was how Merkel herself was going to be remembered. Since I had little knowledge of Merkel prior to this presentation, I was not familiar with the public opinion surrounding Merkel and her work. Her public opinion, outside of the opinions of fellow German politicians, was not extensively mentioned. While things were said about Merkel about both sides of the political aisle, sometimes politicians are out of touch with the majority of the public. Because public opinion was not a major topic, I was not able to get a great sense of whether this brand of memory politics was satisfying to the public. When politicians invoke feelings of shame about a country’s past to their own citizens, sometimes the results are mixed, and the politician may take some damage for taking this kind of a stand.
Whenever a politician talks about the past with a tone of shame and empathy, their hearts and minds are generally in the right place if the past warrants this emotional response. After listening to this talk, Angela Merkel’s heart seems to be in the right place, as she tries to make up for much inaction on the part of previous German leaders to acknowledge the ultimate elephant in the room in regards to their history. What remains to be seen however, is whether Merkel will have to sacrifice her own popularity and legacy to get the German psyche to where she wants it to be.