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German talk show host Eva Herman, who was fired last month for praising some Nazi values. (AP)
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Last update - 20:33 17/10/2007
Survey: 25% of Germans believe Nazi period had some benefits
By The Associated Press

A poll published Wednesday showed a quarter of Germans believe there were
at least some positive aspects to Nazi rule - a finding that comes after a popular talk show host was fired for praising Nazi Germany's attitude toward motherhood.

Pollsters for the Forsa agency, commissioned by the weekly Stern magazine, asked whether National Socialism also had some good sides (such as) the construction of the highway system, the elimination of unemployment, the low criminality rate (and) the encouragement of the family.
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Forsa said 25 percent responded yes - but 70 percent said no.

Dieter Graumann, vice president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, said the poll should be considered a warning sign.

"The result of the poll is ugly, disastrous and makes me sad and angry," he told the Netzeitung online newspaper.

Still, he cautioned against alarmism, and called for more education about the Nazi period.

Stern commissioned the survey, conducted October 11-12, after Germany's NDR public broadcaster last month fired talk show host Eva Herman following her statement on the Third Reich.

News reports quoted her as saying at the presentation of her latest book that, while there was much that was very bad, for example Adolf Hitler, there were good things, for example the high regard for the mother under the Nazis.

Since then Herman, a 48-year-old who has written books urging a return to more traditional gender roles, has stood by her comments.

She later said: "What I wanted to express was that values which also existed before the Third Reich, such as family, children and motherhood, which were supported in the Third Reich, were subsequently done away with by the 68ers" - a reference to 1960s leftists.

Any praise of the 1933-45 Nazi dictatorship is taboo in Germany. The Nazis were responsible for the murder of some 6 million Jews and starting World War II - a conflict in which at least 60 million people died, including more than 7 million Germans.

The poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, showed that people 60 or older had the highest regard for aspects of the era, with 37 percent answering yes.

Those who grew up directly after the war, now aged 45 to 59, were the least enthusiastic about the Nazi era, with only 15 percent responding yes.

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      1.   if they were honest the figure would be 99% 19:55  |  s 17/10/07
      2.   Don`t Complain, Just Leave 19:58  |  Tod Zuckerman 17/10/07
      3.   It is hard to deny 20:25  |  Mark Lincoln 17/10/07
      4.   That`s probably true 20:31  |  American 17/10/07
      5.   25%? I believe it 20:47  |  Steve 17/10/07
      6.   Hey Euro Jews 20:47  |  Danite 17/10/07
      7.   Led directly to the creation of Israel 20:52  |  Natallie Durson 17/10/07
      8.   Business was Good: Ask the USA about it... 20:53  |  POP 17/10/07
      9.   Keeping things in (the right) perspective..... 20:55  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/10/07
      10.   benefit for who? 20:57  |  Nazila 17/10/07
      11.   Meaningless 21:20  |  Quijybo 17/10/07
      12.   mark Lincoln 21:22  |  Danite 17/10/07
      13.   Danite 21:40  |  American 17/10/07
      14.   POP, especially the grand guru of the Democrats 21:49  |  Jake 17/10/07
      15.   NDURSON The Zionist movement preceded Hitler by many years 21:56  |  PETER SM 17/10/07
      16.   # 4 Danite 21:56  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/10/07
      17.   Haaretz was quick to condemn Ann Coulter 21:57  |  Jake 17/10/07
      18.   some perspective please!! 22:10  |  Leona 17/10/07
      19.   slavery in America 22:11  |  Dan 17/10/07
      20.   Why the past will not pass in Germany 22:17  |  Jonathan S 17/10/07
      21.   #7 Dino anti semite? 22:30  |  Kevin 17/10/07
      22.   Jews guilty of their own misery #4 and #13 22:37  |  Jonathan S 17/10/07
      23.   Respect for mothers? 22:46  |  sweis Melbourne 17/10/07
      24.   war preparation 22:57  |  joki 17/10/07
      25.   #7 Natallie Dunhead 23:12  |  Chick 17/10/07
      26.   Nazi era 23:16  |  JW 17/10/07
      27.   # 7 Natallie Durson: creation of Israel 23:53  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 17/10/07
      28.   To Jake, #17 00:02  |  Dave 18/10/07
      29.   Hmm, now the Danite`s throwing Jews 00:19  |  sh 18/10/07
      30.   The war ended in 1945 00:28  |  sh 18/10/07
      31.   American 00:33  |  Danite 18/10/07
      32.   Swiss Dino what? 00:35  |  Danite 18/10/07
      33.   Really Danite? 01:14  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      34.   Dan, from California 01:26  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      35.   What is the big deal? 01:33  |  Omer Friedman 18/10/07
      36.   Max Zinger, arguing with the lie 01:34  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      37.   Nazila rejoices at the Holocaust, laments at Israel 01:35  |  Jake 18/10/07
      38.   Yes Peter SM, that is the fact 01:40  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      39.   A car ? 01:46  |  Frederique 18/10/07
      40.   The "Values" the Nazis sold 01:48  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      41.   The Monsters 01:53  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      42.   Ask Israel 02:30  |  cros 18/10/07
      43.   25% low, i`d have personally said YES. 02:45  |  Germanophile 18/10/07
      44.   #8 POP. Ask German Zionists also... 03:01  |  Maureen Ann 18/10/07
      45.   Idiots, Women were only Wombs to them, Construction was by Slaves 04:16  |  Efox 18/10/07
      46.   re: Swiss (Dino) 04:18  |  Efox 18/10/07
      47.   mark Lincoln are you deranged maybe?? 04:25  |  Danite 18/10/07
      48.   mark Lincoln are you deranged maybe?? 04:25  |  Danite 18/10/07
      49.   mark Lincoln are you deranged maybe?? 04:25  |  Danite 18/10/07
      50.   mark Lincoln are you dranged maybe?? 04:26  |  Danite 18/10/07
      51.   Swiss Dino 04:31  |  Danite 18/10/07
      52.   Some Jews saddened makes me sad 04:47  |  Jon 18/10/07
      53.   Re swiss Dino 08:55  |  Matthew 18/10/07
      54.   Mark Lincoln--further bits of wisdom 09:09  |  Matthew 18/10/07
      55.   # 53 Matthew 11:01  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/07
      56.   # Marc Lincoln 11:05  |  Traude 18/10/07
      57.   Re Dino 14:17  |  Matthew 18/10/07
      58.   # 57 Matthew (2) 15:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/07
      59.   no nazis 21:30  |  ronald 18/10/07
      60.   contact 02:44  |  riz 19/10/07
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