do you really think we can talk about guilt when we talk about nations? how does this sense of guilt develop in abstract political units?
i am also not so sure whether germany ever wanted to compensate for the rise of national socialism and the holocaust. is this the only reason in your eyes why a couple of years ago immigrants encountered open borders? i rather think your argument from the other post is the better explanation, namely that it's all about cheap labour, maybe there is also the wish to bring in more testosteron into the country. might be an advantage in a future war, two or three generations ahead of us. the bundeswehr has difficulties recruiting new soldiers, thats a fact but also speculation on my part.
i would add to your arguments that germany probably is the first country in history that has indeed tried to learn thoroughly from its mistakes in the past. you cannot say this about many other countries that have committed genocide on a large scale. i dont know any other. most institutions in germany have indeed implemented what you would call "a sense of guilt". i would call it "a culture of remembrance" which allows sadness about what has happened but does not want to make people feel guilty. this would also be counterproductive.
i would make one exception. there are people whose families have profited during the third reich and the second world war. not being able to distance oneself from the acquired wealth, for whatever reasons, might indeed lead in some individuals to feelings of guilt and the wish to give back something to the victims
