The Persistence of A. H.

In Berlin, an exhibition of everyday objects from the 1930s and 1940s seeks to show just how much Hitler and his Nazi mystique permeated German society, from emblems on wallets and key rings to this set of toy soldiers, above. Lots of people lined up at the German Museum of History on the day the show opened. Were they horrified, fascinated, attracted, repelled? Apologizing for the Nazis eventually devalues the apology and leads to subsequent generations who may well say, "we're tired of groveling." But how could a nation not apologize for a Hitler? These are questions which I am sure have been asked many times already, and will be asked for a long time to come. In a recent book, "The Legacy of the Second World War," historian John Lukacs suggested that as the last generation of people with living memories of the Second World War pass away, the likelihood of Hitler's 'rehabilitation' by historians increases...