The German Wiedergutmachung

The podcast “The German Wiedergutmachung” focuses on the question if and how people persecuted by the National Socialist regime and their descendant received compensation and were given back their former property. This procedure has been described by the term “Wiedergutmachung” – well aware of the fact, that the Nazi crimes and terror will never be “good again”.

The podcast examines the German government’s efforts to take (material) responsibility for crimes committed by the National Socialist regime and brings the history of Wiedergutmachung back to life. Great interview partners from the academic sphere and from society, along with fascinating documents kept by the Federal Archives unveil the multiple facets of Wiedergutmachung and let the listeners experience the fates of the victims.

The first three episodes take a closer look on restitution claims for seized property, on agreements to compensate Nazi persecutees in Western Europe and on the belated Wiedergutmachung for persecuted Sinti and Roma as an example of the so-called “forgotten victims”.

“The German Wiedergutmachung” is a production for the Online Collection “Wiedergutmachung for National Socialist Injustice” – a digital research platform for Wiedergutmachung records. It has been realized on behalf of the Federal Archives by “Escucha – Kultur fürs Ohr” and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

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Episode 3: Fight for recognition

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44 min

Episode 2: A question of territory – Looking west

The second episode takes a look at the international perspective on Wiedergutmachung, with a focus on the allied Western European states. How did compensation come about in these countries? What were the procedures? How did foreign nationals – whether persecuted themselves or immigrated later – experience the German Wiedergutmachung policy?

In order to find answers, we will consult another file from the Federal Archives and we will talk to various experts. The historian Tim Geiger will inform us about the foreign policy history of Wiedergutmachung, and Nicole Immler from Utrecht/Netherlands will help us find out what people abroad thought of...

40 min

Episode 1: A question of property – between theft and law

The first episode addresses the question what belongs to whom after the fall of a terrorist regime, meaning why the restitution of houses and other valuable assets to those who suffered National Socialist persecution was essential to turn a dictatorship into a constitutional democracy. Restitution of property in this dimension had been unprecedented in history and raised a number of problems and hurdles.
In order to find answers, we will open files from the Federal Archives and we will ask the historian Jürgen Lillteicher about the beginnings of German Wiedergutmachung. The lawyer Benjamin Lahusen will open the doors to the...