Over the course of the twentieth century, Germans from virtually all walks of life were touched by two interrelated problems: forging a sense of national community and coming to terms with widespread suffering. Arguably no country in the modern western world has been so closely associated with both inflicting and overcoming catastrophic misery in the name of national belonging as Germany.
It was within this context that the concept and ideal of Asacrifice" played a pivotal role in recent German political culture. What was seen as a noble act that carried feudal and religious connotations...