The first stage of the formation of the culture of memory in postwar Germany: between collective guilt and social silence (1945–early 1960s)

<jats:p>The article examines the first stage in the formation of the culture of memory in postwar Germany (1945 – the early 1960s), a period marked by a gradual transition from military defeat and denazification to the recognition of moral responsibility for the crimes of the National Socialist regime. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between collective memory, collective guilt, and moral responsibility, as well as to the impact of social silence on the development of historical consciousness in German society. Purpose. The study aims to identify the specific features of the formation of the culture of memory during the first postwar period, to analyze the transformation of the concept of collective guilt, and to determine the role of state policy, judicial proceedings, church institutions, philosophical thought, and public discourse in reinterpreting the crimes of National Socialism. Methodology. The research is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematic analysis. It employs historical-comparative, historical-genetic, problem-chronological, and historical-typological methods, together with elements of discourse analysis and historiographical review. Scientific novelty. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the initial stage in the formation of Germany’s culture of memory through the interaction of denazification policy, public silence, the concept of collective moral responsibility, and the intellectual reinterpretation of the Nazi past. It demonstrates that the period from 1945 to the early 1960s established the institutional, legal, and moral foundations for the subsequent democratic memory policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Conclusions. The research demonstrates that the first stage of Germany’s postwar memory culture was characterized by the coexistence of widespread social silence and the gradual emergence of moral responsibility for the crimes of National Socialism. Although public acknowledgment developed slowly, this period laid the foundations of the contemporary German model of historical memory, based on the distinction between individual criminal guilt and collective moral responsibility, as well as on the development of memorial policy, justice, and democratic values. Keywords: culture of memory; collective memory; collective guilt; moral responsibility; denazification; postwar Germany; historical memory.</jats:p>