Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In that time, few peoples have transformed themselves for the better to the extent achieved by the Germans. This afternoon Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, stated that neither the reasons nor the responsibility for what happened can be attributed simply to Hitler the madman. He said that it rests with German individuals who chose to allow it to happen.

One thing that stands out for a North American in Europe today is the supreme humility that exists among the Germans. Nowhere will you ever find an individual who prides himself or herself on being German. After massive suffering, the German people appear to have discovered a profound truth that most other nations have yet to perceive.

The contrast is particularly striking when you ferry the five kilometres across the Bodensee into German-speaking Switzerland. There, everything Swiss is the best. If today was 1930, and Switzerland had a massive economy, it might be Switzerland rather than Germany where "Nazionalsozialismus" finds its fateful footing.