The German identity is a complex combination of gruesome and tragic history with the love of family and close support systems. With the collapse of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the recent World Cup victory in 2006, the German society as a whole is beginning to gather momentum towards accepting their history and embracing who they are as a result of it.
American war films glorify the war and triumph of the good over evil, while Germans are their own harshest critic they are gaining strength and establishing some peace of mind in regards to the overly-zealous media and biased portrayals of the German citizens during World War II. It is easy to forget while watching the films and reading the stories that each person is an individual with a soul. Not every Nazi soldier was in support of the war, and not each and every German citizen saluted Hitler or honored him.
World War II crippled the country of Germany physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These wounds can still be found if looked for closely among the German citizens. They are forever learning to find their identity as loving, caring, and solemn people outside of the stigma that Adolph Hitler stamped on their collective history. While the war was the single most affecting event in German history, the Germans are still here and prove to have some of the most genuine of identities for it.
