Elisabeth's Legacy: Europe Night Essay Competition (Shortlist)

It is January 14, 1930. My German grandmother is born as Elisabeth Sowa in Silesia, which would later belong to Poland. She moves to Berlin, where—like many at the time - she becomes part of the girls' version of the Hitler Youth. To her, there is nothing wrong with that: they sing, do crafts, and play. “It was great fun,” she would tell me later. “We had no idea then what horrors were taking place in the outside world.”

In that outside world, for many others in Europe, little seems to be happening yet. The First World War, then still called the Great War, has already been over for more than ten years. Nevertheless, due to growing discontent, the key players of the Second World War emerge. Among them is Hitler, with a campaign aimed at the poor: “The communists and Jews are the cause of all your problems. Do you want fewer communists and Jews? Then we will arrange that!” Sounds familiar?

Then, this hateful campaign erupts into violence, first with the Kristallnacht and later the actual war. My grandmother witnesses little of this. Her negative experiences only come towards the end of the war. As a teenager, she has to go into hiding. First from the violence of war and then from the vengeful Russians. I do wonder about this: what part could my grandmother, then only 15 years old, have played in the Nazi regime?

It shows that the distinction between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ is not always easy. Many Germans pay a collective price after the war for the actions of their fellow compatriots. My mother, who would later move to Amsterdam, experiences firsthand for decades what being a ‘Mof' (a Dutch curse word for Germans) means in the Netherlands. For instance, her car windows are smashed and all four wheels stolen because of her German license plate, and a colleague suggests that my mother should not be granted time off on Dutch Liberation Day. Despite this, she builds something beautiful in the Netherlands, thanks to the opportunities Europe offer.

My father’s family also benefits from those opportunities, albeit after great suffering. His father, my grandfather, is of Jewish descent. During the war, he is imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp. Upon his return, he discovers that dozens of family members have been deported and murdered by the Nazis. Later, he trains as a pulmonologist in Switzerland, where my father is born. Afterward, they move back to the Netherlands.

I am a product of European unification. The stories of my grandmother and parents make a great impression on me. They teach me that you must hold people accountable for their own actions, not for the group to which they belong. That applies to everyone, regardless of what others in their group have done wrong.

Precisely that is now threatening to go wrong again in Europe. Radical right-wing populists are leading in the polls of the three largest economies: Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Admittedly, they are still doing this through democratic means, but with an agenda reminiscent of the 1930s: they categorically exclude minorities and restrict their rights, while promising better times to ‘their own people’.

At the same time, it is true that not everyone who sympathizes with this agenda is by definition ‘wrong’. Many Europeans have, rightly or wrongly, great concerns about their future. Moreover, they often feel unrepresented. This evokes a sense of powerlessness and leads to radical choices whose consequences they cannot foresee. Many are merely seeking recognition of their existence and concerns. They deserve not a reckoning, but better representation.

Although history never repeats itself exactly, the parallels are undeniable. Certain politicians threaten to come to power with fascist ideas, such as Bardella in France and Farage in the United Kingdom. Others are even already at the center of power to actually introduce policies that restrict the rights of minorities, as Meloni is doing with the queer community of Italy.

Europe stands at a turning point once again. Democracy threatens to be overthrown from within, but it is not yet too late. The victory of democrat Magyar over dictator Orbán in Hungary shows resilience. This offers hope for a future in which Europe strives for mutual connection. Especially now that undemocratic great powers are trying to divide Europe from the outside. The only way to resist this is not less, but more cooperation.

In doing so, our core values must be central: freedom, equality, and the rule of law. So that we can continue to move freely within Europe, celebrate our differences as equals, and protect minorities against injustice.

It is up to young people, the future of Europe, to actively work on this. By standing together. By holding each other accountable for our actions and not for our origins or the group to which we belong. And by having faith in each other and our future.

In four years, my grandmother will turn one hundred years old. We will both still be living in a united Europe where democracy, peace, and human rights stand strong and proud. So that history does not repeat itself.

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