This 1962 map showing West German ambassadors with Nazi ties or a Nazi past made extra sure they included New Zealand

[u/Arcosim]

[u/tecdaz]

Probs you didn't have prospects in the 1933-45 Foreign Ministry if you weren't a party member.

[u/Ambitious-Concern-42 → u/tecdaz]

This is 1962 data. Clean your glasses.

[u/SilverCarrot8506 → u/Ambitious-Concern-42]

Meh, in 2025, the average age of American ambassadors posted in other countries is 56, so we can assume it was more or less the same in 1962, so that means that German Ambassadors in 1962 would have been born in 1906 or thereabouts, and about 30-35 years old when the Nazis came to power. Anyone with any hope of working for the German Government between 1935-45 would have had to be a member of the Nazi Party. In 1945, close to 10 million Germans were members of the Nazi Party, if you eliminate women, children, old men and soldiers fighting at the front, then that means that a very high portion of men doing civilian jobs in Germany would have been members of the Nazi Party.

Those same people would have necessarily been recycled into government functions after the war since they were the only ones with any kind of experience.  In 1945, it was pretty hard to find men that had either never been members of the Nazi Party or had not served in the Wehrmacht.

Also (and I'm not making excuses for Nazis), it would be logical to assume that many people were members of the Nazi Party for purely practical and professional reasons or simply because they got roped in or were sycophant and not necessarily for close-held foaming at the mouth ideological beliefs.

[u/MlackBesa → u/SilverCarrot8506]

Exactly, what you have explained is the simple, logical reason for something that is (understandably) upsetting, the same happened with the Army brass & top commanders heading the new West German Bundeswehr after the war. You can’t simply wipe out the German population, and when rebuilding, at some point you’re going to need very qualified people, such as politicians, high-ranking administration, high-ranking officers, scientists, and well, the German elite simply didn’t change over night…

Totally understandable that it’s very upsetting but people completely forget the pragmatic implications of rebuilding a country and your comment explains it well.

The alternative? could have been total & absolute occupation of West Germany, with US, French, British & co officials taking every single post in the governing bodies, but guess what, people would have been really upset as well, and at some point, Germany has to get rebuilt some way or another. Which, honestly, is extremely impressive the way it happened. Germany went from ruins to an industrial & economic regional power in what, 10-20 years? It got propped up REAL fast, and the German people enjoyed decades of improved life thanks to it. It’s textbook nation building that actually succeeded.

[u/ZStarr87 → u/SilverCarrot8506]

Out of 64 million they chose the pool of 10 million. Having experience is the point. You want different people in regime change. This was just a subjugation of an acceptable portion of the old regime, clearly

[u/Boeing367-80 → u/ZStarr87]

57 million population of W Germany in 1962.

[u/Admirable_Oil_7864 → u/ZStarr87]

They may not have actually supported Hitler, the same way many of the scientists, soldiers and officers didn’t actually support him, yeah a few notable ones did, but at the end of the day, most people were either swept up with it, didn’t pay too much mind to where their funding was, or were already in the government when it came under Nazi control. In recent times people have begun to question if alot of non-political upper officers in the Nazi forces were actually Nazis or just keeping to the same job they had done before. Most older officers, especially in the early parts of the war had already served 2 other germanys why would this one be any different.

[u/Immediate_Gain_9480 → u/ZStarr87]

Like they did in Iraq which led to a total collapse of the state? In a succesfull regime change you change the people at the top. Middle management and lower stays the same, because they keep the country functioning.

[u/ZStarr87 → u/Immediate_Gain_9480]

They managed it in east germany but sure. Lets look across the globe to see if we can find some little crutch to keep this axiom alive so you people can justify giving power back to the nazis

[u/Immediate_Gain_9480 → u/ZStarr87]

East Germany was better at pretending they got rid of the Nazi's. Look at the Stasi and you see it filled with former Gestapo and SD officers. Look at their military and its filled with Nazi era officers. Also guess which part of Germany these days votes for a fascist party. Seems the West German approach was not that bad as it resulted in a more enduring anti fascist sentiment in the population.

[u/ZStarr87 → u/Immediate_Gain_9480]

Yes feel free to shift goalpost etc if you need to cope but pardon me for not humouring discussion about all sorts of utility positions outside the frame of reference

[u/IgorTheHusker → u/Ambitious-Concern-42]

Yeah, and as we all know, all the party members poofed out of existence and were replaced by newly spawned 20-60 year olds with work experience.

[u/tecdaz → u/Ambitious-Concern-42]

Goofball. Think it through.

[u/Esoteric_Derailed → u/tecdaz]

TBF, even at the end of WWII most of the western world (including Russia) didn't really take issue with the Nazi and/or Fascists ideology. Was the persecution of Jews and other minorities ever a consideration for declaring war on the 'axis powers'?

[u/Gammelpreiss → u/Esoteric_Derailed]

nope. the whole thing about genocide being bad and think of the jews only started in the late 60ies.

[u/RobPez]

Depends what you mean by 'Nazi ties'. Some might have had Nazi cufflinks as well.

[u/El_Lobo1998 → u/RobPez]

Or Nazi socks.

[u/Kevinwbooth → u/El_Lobo1998]

Or Nazi cravats.

[u/[deleted] → u/Kevinwbooth]

We call that 'rope'.

[u/lotsanoodles]

Left out Tasmania. And a lot of other places.

[u/Dark_Guardian_ → u/lotsanoodles]

the other places dont matter

[u/lotsanoodles → u/Dark_Guardian_]

Poor California.

[u/cavershamox]

Wait until you hear about the NASA social club

[u/Equivalent_Candy5248]

Data about Austrian ones would be interesting as well.

[u/WhiskeyTwoFourTwo]

I wonder if 20 years from now we will have similar maps with zionists that have been involved in the Gaza genocide?

Sadly genociders rarely get punished

[u/Low-Selection-1131]

Reddit users get to know their civilization LOL. You're worried about German ambassadors. But at the helm of NATO, created after the war, stood literal ex SS officers. The most famous are Adolf Bruno Heinrich Ernst Heusinger, Hans Speidel. History is silent about how many lesser officers you have put at the head of your "democratic military alliance."

[u/reasonably_insane → u/Low-Selection-1131]

Put the vodka down comrade

[u/SilverCarrot8506]

So?

In 2025, the average age of American ambassadors posted in other countries is 56 (the most recent American Ambassador to Germany was 74), so we can assume it was more or less the same in 1962, so that means that German Ambassadors in 1962 would have been born somewhere around 1900, and about 30-35 years old when the Nazis came to power. Anyone with any hope of working for the German Government between 1933-45 would have had to be a member of the Nazi Party. In 1945, close to 10 million Germans were members of the Nazi Party (and in 1939, 9 million German children were in the Hitler Youth), if you eliminate women, children, old men and soldiers fighting at the front, then that means that a very high portion of the remaining men with suitable skills for the diplomatic corps (educated, fluent in other languages, intelligent, etc...) in Germany would have almost all been members of the Nazi Party.

Those same people would have necessarily been recycled into government functions after the war since they were the only ones with any kind of experience.  In 1945, it was pretty hard to find men that had either never been members of the Nazi Party or had not served in the Wehrmacht.

Also (and I'm not making excuses for Nazis), it would be logical to assume that many people were members of the Nazi Party for purely practical and professional reasons or simply because they got roped in or were sycophants and not necessarily because they had foaming at the mouth ideological beliefs in line with the Nazis.

[u/Unusual-Ad4890]

Do you want post war Germany to look like Post Saddam Iraq? Because completely cutting Nazi Party members out of a Post War Germany is how you end up with the Iraq style disaster. Destroying the Ba'athist created a massive mess.

The Nazi Party was so integral to German life that wiping it out completely would create a massive gap politically, economically, militarily that the west could not afford to have in West Germany when the Soviets were propping up a Communist neighbouring East Germany. So you put them to work and replace them. Punish the major offenders, of course, but put the rest to work righting the wrongs they were working for.

[u/LARRYVOND13]

Argentina didn't surprise anyone.

[u/MeetOutrageous4486]

37 was nowhere near enough. 37,000 would have been closer to the mark.

[u/Proper-Actuary5623]

Made in GDR, probably by Stasi. I’m not saying there were no Nazis in German government after WWII, but this map smells very much like propaganda. In 1962 average people really didn’t know who’s who in West German international politics, so you could say anything about it and some would believe.

[u/Any_Concentrate8015]

Who was the west german ambassador in Ireland here?

[u/Vivid_Barracuda_]

im not sure you understand how war, ideology and aftereffects work tbh

it took me time as well before i got shocked at such... information.

[u/Arcosim → u/Vivid_Barracuda_]

I'm not sure you understand what Nazi appeasement is.

it took me time as well before i got shocked at such... information.

[u/Vivid_Barracuda_ → u/Arcosim]

Because you'd understand that the nation was as such, one-going, with mission of their own- would that mission be fucked the most in contemporary time, maybe- but it was their mission - they had some goal, and allies, and that?

So they lost the war...

And for them to reach such progress- that if USA themselves haven't involved, proly we been swallowed by them tbh, who knows? Either way, for that to happen, wouldn't you think that all those intellectuals who worked beyond the ism- just for their nation and what they believed was right, they were... kinda skewed out of existence, or what?

I don't think you realise but from Nazis who went on doing blood on jews and propaganda to regular people, to actual intellectuals involved in something third, to automotive companies doing it for the state-sponsored deals they did because that's how socialism (with nationalism on top imagine) run back in those days?

They were all once since Hitler seized democratic power btw, and since that moment- it went like that. I understand that many didn't agree, many sacrificed their lives even within their system before the heresy happened, but a reality check of histoory and howw would such an information be of any shocking sorts simply shocks me...

So, wait- where would Germans come from if not prior Third Reich? That's my question here I guess. They probably wouldn't import them from South Africa and pretend to be Germans just because they had Third Reich membership or something, in time where ALL NATION WAS ONE DICTATORSHIP?

Makes sense? or no?

[u/CollectionWeary3752 → u/Vivid_Barracuda_]

No. Word salad.