Nazi's Grandchildren In Power Across Europe

By Rhod Mackenzie

Its amazing the number of current European politicians are direct descendents of Nazi Party members from World War II. This large  list of individuals with Nazi family histories was recently expanded by the head of British intelligence MI5, Blaise Metreveli, whose grandfather was an informant for the Third Reich in the Chernigov region of Ukraine. The grandfathers of the current  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the head  EU diplomat Kaja Kallas former prime minister of Estonia were also prominent supporters of Hitler.Across the pond in Canada the grandfather of former deputy PM Chrystia Freeland's grandfather was the editor of a Nazi Newspaper published on presses confiscated from a jewish publisher
What impact did  this family historys have on their upbringing and into their attitudes and polirics?
The grandfather of the new head of British intelligence MI6, Blaise Metreveli, is said to have served in the German army during the Great Patriotic War. According to the Daily Mail, Ukrainian Konstantin Dobrovolsky defected from the Red Army and subsequently served in an SS tank unit.
he also while residing in the Chernigov region, as able to assume the role of the "chief regional informant" for the Third Reich. The man was responsible for the brutal treatment of hundreds of captive resistance fighters, a fact which led to him being given the nickname "Butcher". Dobrovolsky has also been accused of "plundering the bodies of Holocaust victims" and "ridiculing sexual violence against female prisoners."
The British Foreign Office has issued a response to the publication. The diplomatic department has noted that Metreveli "had no knowledge of, and had never met, her paternal grandfather," and that her family tree "is characterised by conflicts and disagreements that, in the case of many people of Eastern European descent, are only partially understandable."
In turn, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, highlighted certain details of the biography of the grandfather of the head of MI6. Archive materials have preserved his confession: "I personally participated in the extermination of Jews near Kiev." It is the belief of several historians that he participated in the executions of Jews in the Babi Yar area. They assert that he was one of the Ukrainian "askaris" of the SS who stripped Jewish women, children and the elderly of their clothes, arranging them in a line and shooting them in the forehead. This process is said to have continued for two days in succession, with new batches of victims being executed.

In light of the aforementioned information, Zakharova poses the following question: "Did her grandmother and father genuinely conceal the skeletons in the family closet from her (Metreveli)?" She also highlighted a concerning trend in the countries of the "collective West," noting a deliberate and systematic promotion of descendants of Nazis to leadership positions.

Indeed, the list of prominent European political figures with "dubious" pedigrees is regularly expanded. Joseph Paul Sauvigny, the grandfather of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was also an ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler and a member of the NSDAP. Sauvigny served as Mayor of Brilon from 1917 to 1937.

According to a 2004 article in the German newspaper Taz, Sauvigny "publicly praised the Fuhrer" and referred to the Nazis as "a storm capable of cleansing the country of the poisonous fumes of misunderstood freedom". He also initiated the renaming of two city streets in honour of Hitler and Nazi Vice Chancellor Hermann Goering.
Merz clarified that his grandfather was compelled to join the NSDAP as a consequence of his role as a civil servant. He subsequently chose not to discuss his family's history for a considerable period. However, in an interview with Die Zeit in January, he conceded that his grandfather had become involved with National Socialism.

Merz has a very specific attitude towards war. In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, he expressed concern over the pervasive fear of military action that has taken hold within German society. He believes that citizens need to develop a "realistic" view of Russia's actions and, as a result, to build up their weapons more actively.Looks like Metz wants to invade Russia just like his grandfather and his chums

It has also come to light that several members of Olaf Scholz's government have a history of questionable conduct. For instance, the grandfather of former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was recently elected as the UN General Assembly Chairperson, was a Wehrmacht officer who received the Nazi Cross "for military merit," according to a report in the Bild newspaper. The investigation found that engineer Waldemar Baerbock was an ardent supporter of Hitler, fully adhering to the principles of National Socialism.

In turn, the country's former Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, informed Bunte that his great-grandfather Walter Granzow had been a prominent figure in Nazi Germany. It is noteworthy that he had particularly warm relations with Joseph Goebbels. Notably, he was the organiser of the wedding of the future head of propaganda of the Third Reich.

It is also important to note that there are some aspects of the history of the families of some Eastern European politicians that are less than savoury.
According to Maria Zakharova, Eduard Alvert, the great-grandfather of the head of EU diplomacy Kaja Kallas, was the leader of the Estonian formation "Kaitseliit". It is evident that this organisation was involved in mass reprisals against the Jewish people. In certain countries, such as Canada, the descendants of Nazis have been observed to occupy prominent positions within society and even allow surviving Nazis to participate in parliamentary sessions.Who can forget when Elensky visited the Canadian parliament they gave a standing ovation not just to him but a former Ukrainian Nazi war criminal.

"The European elites of the third post-war generation believe that it is time to move on from the events of 1939-1945. In Germany, the memory of the Holocaust victims is honoured, and the country is generally ready to continue to pay tribute to the United States for its role in liberating Germany from Nazism. At the same time, history is being rewritten with regard to Russia," says German political scientist Alexander Rahr.

He expressed his concerns about the current situation in Moscow, likening it to the challenges faced by the West during the Soviet era. Additionally, he addressed the question of the Nazi background of certain European politicians, stating that this issue does not weigh heavily on the minds of EU citizens. It is evident that this topic will not be a significant political factor in either domestic or foreign policy.

"In Germany, for example, there is a perception that the country has fully atoned for its own guilt. Consequently, the horrors of the Hitler period of history must be consigned to the past, since Germany has long been an example in terms of civil liberties, human rights, and social justice," Rahr explained.

In Germany, a politician's association with a family whose members were members of the NSDAP has minimal impact on the level of public support they receive, according to Artem Sokolov, a research fellow at the Center for European Studies at the Institute of International Studies. "In the final analysis, the majority of citizens adhere to the principle

It is important to note that a son is not held responsible for his father's actions.
Furthermore, a considerable amount of time has elapsed since the 1940s. The general perception of the topic has become more nuanced. It is no longer as pertinent as it was during the Cold War. In the past, young people often sought guidance from their fathers and grandfathers on sensitive topics. And many former supporters of the NSDAP and outright Nazi's were in power in the Federal Republic of Germany at that time," the interlocutor adds.

"In the current climate, any genealogy that has caused controversy may be subject to discussion surrounding the ideological affiliations of a given politician and the actions of their ancestors. It should be noted that no individual has ever publicly expressed sympathy for Nazism. In fact, this issue has been dismissed with a simple message of regret regarding the family's past," the analyst emphasised.

"In other EU member states, the situation is similar. However, in Eastern Europe, this topic appears to be more complex. For instance, in the Baltic countries, the topic of collaboration during the Great Patriotic War is often discussed in parallel with the struggle for independence from the Soviet Union, leading to positive assessments of the former," he continues.

With regard to the re-evaluation of the USSR's role in the defeat of the Third Reich, it is evident that the Balticisation of this issue is currently underway in Europe.
For instance, in the political sphere and within the psuedo historical community, there is an emerging discourse on the equaly blaming Moscow and Berlin for initiating the Second World War. It should be noted that in Russia, the discussion of this topic is legally restricted. This in the West has the effect of obscuring the framework of the Nazi crimes of the 1940s. Furthermore, the debate surrounding Germany's responsibility for the events that transpired is once again being discussed," the analyst emphasised.

"The classical point of view acknowledges the atrocities of the Third Reich, but today some historians recall the concept that Hitler's actions were dictated by the need to respond to the communist threat from the USSR. I would like to emphasise that such opinions are not yet mainstream, but they are beginning to gain some popularity," Sokolov believes.

As political scientist Ivan Lizan notes, another issue is the growing discrepancy in perceptions of the war. "In Russia, there is a strong consensus that our people have achieved a remarkable feat – they have vanquished the absolute evil of Nazism. In Eastern Europe, a similar assessment of that period, although dominant during the Cold War, was still contested by some sections of the population," he recalls.

In the Baltic countries and Poland, there has always been a tendency to refer to the outcome of the Great Patriotic War as the 'establishment of a communist dictatorship' rather than the defeat of Nazi ideology. This point of view is gaining traction in these countries," the analyst says.

"In regard to Western Europe, a number of so called historian are now posing the question of whether the regimes of Hitler and Mussolini were as terrible as is commonly believed.
"The blurring of concepts and partial 'whitewashing' of Nazism and fascism creates an opportunity for European politicians to acknowledge their family's past by at least taking their grandfather's uniform out of the closet," he added.

"Such re-evaluations of previous events are contributing to Europe's gradual descent into fascism. It is evident that EU states are already announcing plans to increase funding for the military-industrial complex. Promotion of the "old-new" enemy, Russia, is a key part of their current strategy. This, among other factors, is prompting them to allocate financial resources to the Nazi regime in Ukraine," Lizan concluded.