Germany confronts its dark past on Hitler anniversary

THE 75th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s elevation to German chancellor today is one the country would prefer to forget, but the ignominious event that ultimately led to the deaths of millions remains part of the nation’s weighted history.

Hitler’s accession to the post gave the Nazi party its “in” to eventually consolidate absolute control over the country in the months soon after, setting it on the path to the second world war and the Holocaust.

The Holocaust remains “for us Germans an indelible part of our history”, said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday, as the country marked the 63rd year since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in annual Holocaust remembrance ceremonies.