Karl Barth, Memory, and the Nazi Past: Confronting the Question of German Guilt

This article examines Karl Barth’s confrontation with the Nazi past in his post-war occasional writings and speeches from 1945 to 1950. My thesis is that as early as January 1945, months before the end of the war in Europe, Barth publicly argued the collective guilt of the German people yet sought not to examine this guilt or demand a “collective punishment”—for the crimes were so great and far-reaching into German society, the responsibility too entangled, that it would be impossible to fully understand or appreciate the crimes committed during this period. Instead, Barth wished simply to acknowledge this guilt, encourage the German people to accept it, and continue with the monumental task of reconstructing Germany. Barth’s post-war work proved tremendously influential in challenging the history of the Protestant churches’ uncritical stand in obedience to the state.