Of all the thoughts that I remember having at the entrance of Auschwitz, there was the one that we should learn this lesson once for all. Near the gate, I stuck a number to my T-shirt. But it was nowhere near as decisive for my identity as the one that had been tattooed on their bodies 80 years previously.
Now I see that history hasn't created a bulwark around Germany. How do they look now to an outside observer, the nation that caused such havoc on the whole European continent? Not only are they a part of the international community, it turns out, but also new waves of refugees are eager to settle down in the country. They learn and speak the language of the nation that was an enemy just one human life away. No one seems to have hidden and dissembled some sort of rage and hatred. We are not willing to hold all further generations of German citizens accountable as soon as the country has learned its lesson. Besides, the victims haven't stayed victims forever. Over time, we were fortunate enough to forge our new identities.
So no, I don't see that we are trapped in history, and it is not trapped in us. Chances are we'll see that miracle once again.