The far-right leader pushing Germans to forget the Nazi past - politico.eu
Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a far-right AfD lawmaker in Germany, is advocating for a shift in how the country views its Nazi past. He characterizes the current culture of remembrance as a 'guilt cult' that hinders national pride.
Why it matters
The rise of political figures challenging Germany's postwar identity signals a significant shift in European political discourse regarding historical accountability.
Hans-Thomas Tillschneider could soon wield more power than any other far-right figure in Germany’s postwar history to turn his radical ideas into reality.
Illustration by David Szakaly for POLITICO
Copy Link Copied Share via email Share on X Share on WhatsApp Share on LinkedIn September 3, 2026 4:01 am CET The man leading the charge to make Germany proud again won’t say he wants his fellow Germans to “forget” the Nazi past, but that is where his ideas invariably lead.
Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a 48-year-old lawmaker for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, was until recently little known beyond his largely rural constituency. But he may soon be in a position to help realize one of the greatest ambitions of the party’s most extreme faction: remaking his country’s postwar identity and steering Germans toward leaving behind the Nazi past.
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