Verdad histórica y perdón : el caso alemán, 1945-2009.
Abstract
This article places the issue of forgiveness, and of self-forgiveness specifically, in a particular
historical environment, such as Germany from the second postwar period to the present. Its
purpose is to explore the many obstacles for genuine self-forgiveness in an extreme case of
collective trauma, in which internal and external circumstances are sufficiently adverse to prevent a
balanced management of the relationship between guilt and justice and it was chosen to delete the
collective memory for a long time. We analyze the consequences that this decision had, especially
in the context of an official historical truth. Finally, we draw some lessons that might bring some
interest to the Chile’s recovery process of justice and historical memory.
