of this year. And, Munich’s Institute of Contemporary History is making plans to republish

the text for the first time in Germany since 1945. The reason for this long lapse in publication

is that Germany has spent the last 70 years attempting to distance itself from the disgraced

Nazi regime. It has done this by instituting a number of laws and public policies that

heavily restrict references to Nazi symbolism and propaganda. So, what are Germany’s anti-Nazi

laws?

Well, in the years following the fall of the Nazis, American occupying forces confiscated

all media in Germany that supported the Nazi Party-banning over 30,000 books, and incinerating

millions of copies. They also destroyed all German military and Nazi memorials - with

the exception of tombstones and any related artwork.

Since wiping the slate clean, the German government instituted a list of directives banning all

Nazi-era symbols. The laws restrict the creation, dissemination, storage, and importation of

any unconstitutional political party’s media, particularly the Nazi party. It also bans

any flags, insignia, uniforms, slogans and forms of greeting associated with those parties.

However, the law makes a distinction in the context of art, science, research, education,

and journalism.

And although there is not an exhaustive ban list, it is generally considered to include

in one form or another; swastikas, the Celtic cross, the solar cross, the SS emblem, the

Odal rune, Wolfsangel, the Nazi war flag, the greetings, “Sig Heil” and “Heil

Hitler”, singing the Nazi anthem, or saying the Nazi’s motto. It is also illegal to

deny the holocaust, and this could lead to imprisonment.

Despite the understandable strictness of this ban, there have been some unintended consequences.

In 2006, the use of anti-fascist symbols which featured a crossed out swastika were deemed

illegal, as violations of the ban, despite their obviously opposite purpose. In order

to paint the absurdity of this interpretation, a member of the legislative branch turned

herself in to German police for having displayed the crossed out swastika during an anti-neo-Nazi

rally. In 2007, the German government clarified that this particular symbol was clearly not

pro-Nazi propaganda and would be exempt.

Even though these anti-Nazi laws exist, the German government has only banned two political

parties in its history, despite the resurgence of a neo-Nazi political party in German parliament.

As a democratic nation, Germany has long been struggling to prevent its history from reoccurring,

while attempting to allow for freedom of speech. The republication of this heavily annotated

version of Mein Kampf is a clear example of Germany’s balancing act between the importance

of historical documentation, and the explicit disapproval of their shameful past.

Even with Germany’s ban on Nazi propaganda, Nazism is on the rise in Europe, check out

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