This article is an attempt to analyze the German history textbooks’ narratives of Poland during the Third Reich. Main materials for the effective analysis are the middle schoolbooks published by Klett Co. and Diesterweg Co. between the post-war and today. During 1950’s and 1960’s, the textbooks showed the impression that West Germany would like to push aside the Nazi-crime. They would stress on the personal role of Hitler and the intenational relations as main causes of Poland’s tragedy. Through the 1970’s and 1980’s, textbooks underwent substantial change in the narratives of Poland. German occupation of Poland and the horrible life of Poles were introduced. This change began with the reconciliation between Germany and Poland. Especially, bilateral textbook works and the its Recommendation played a significant role in this change. The breakdown of Socialist system in the eastern Europe and German reunification gave a grave effect on the narratives of the German textbooks. The textbooks explained the prosecuted groups which had not been dealt with. Poles were victims of genocide or Holocaust-Shoa. Their disastrous fate were well explained in concise and vivid representations in the textbooks. The question of responsibility of Nazi-crime is one of the main features of the recent textbooks. These changes are based on the well founded knowledge, detailed portrayal of and balanced documentation of the Past. These improvement must be the result of the cooperative relations between Germany and Poland. It may serve as an important model to solve the history textbook problems.

This article is an attempt to analyze the German history textbooks’ narratives of Poland during the Third Reich. Main materials for the effective analysis are the middle schoolbooks published by Klett Co. and Diesterweg Co. between the post-war and today. During 1950’s and 1960’s, the textbooks showed the impression that West Germany would like to push aside the Nazi-crime. They would stress on the personal role of Hitler and the intenational relations as main causes of Poland’s tragedy. Through the 1970’s and 1980’s, textbooks underwent substantial change in the narratives of Poland. German occupation of Poland and the horrible life of Poles were introduced. This change began with the reconciliation between Germany and Poland. Especially, bilateral textbook works and the its Recommendation played a significant role in this change. The breakdown of Socialist system in the eastern Europe and German reunification gave a grave effect on the narratives of the German textbooks. The textbooks explained the prosecuted groups which had not been dealt with. Poles were victims of genocide or Holocaust-Shoa. Their disastrous fate were well explained in concise and vivid representations in the textbooks. The question of responsibility of Nazi-crime is one of the main features of the recent textbooks. These changes are based on the well founded knowledge, detailed portrayal of and balanced documentation of the Past. These improvement must be the result of the cooperative relations between Germany and Poland. It may serve as an important model to solve the history textbook problems.

Nazi, Germany-Poland Recommendations for Textbook, History Textbook, World War II, Poland