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Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for the pioneers and pioneers of democracy in Germany to be honored more.
Berlin – You deserve far more attention and appreciation than you have previously experienced, he said on Tuesday in Berlin. “The German history of democracy is not a straight-line track record,” emphasized Steinmeier. “But without suppressing the view into the abyss of the Shoah and without forgetting the dictatorships on German soil, there are traditions of freedom and democracy that deserve to be remembered.”
This look back makes us aware of the shoulders we are standing on in our democracy today, it reminds us of the sacrifices people would have made in order to achieve freedom and democracy. “And this look back at a time of new challenges that our democracy is facing gives us courage for the future,” said Steinmeier when presenting the book he published, “Wegbereiter der Deutschen Demokratie” (Trailblazers of German Democracy). It contains portraits of 30 women and men from the period 1789 to 1918.
Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble said it was important to pay tribute to these people – «precisely because we Germans have needed so long, had to overcome devastating wars and two dictatorships, until freedom, the rule of law and democracy could prevail, until all Germans were in a free constitutional state arrived”.
Perhaps today it is more necessary than yes to become aware of the centuries-long efforts of so many people from different schools of thought on the way to democracy, said the CDU politician. «Because our freedom – like our prosperity – seems all too natural to many. And many are not even aware of the fragility of the happy state in which our society lives. “
Democracy is under pressure today. “It is no longer unchallenged,” said Schäuble. “Inside, she loses fellow campaigners and is delegitimized, bad-spoken, damaged by populists.” Seen globally, democracy has to prove itself in competition with authoritarian systems. The crisis resilience of our western order will be shown in comparison with China. (dpa)
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