Geschichtsaufarbeitung refers to the social policy used in post-unification Germany for ensuring that the causes of the Holocaust were properly recognized and could be avoided in their future through openness. Though the word has no direct translation in English, it is commonly translated as "working through history." Along with Germany's other idea of Vergangenheitsbewältigung ("mastering the past"), it can be compared to the Soviet Union's policies of glasnost and perestroika. It is directly in line with the wisdom of Santayana's famous quote that "those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it".

Though Geschichtsaufarbeitung typically refers to the everyday mentality of German nationals and their efforts to reconcile their terrible history, it can also refer to certain official policies and artistic movements. Many of Günter Grass's novels are said to fall within this category.

Other countries

Many other countries have had difficulty finding direction after events of genocide or other horrific proportions. Though Geschichtsaufarbeitung in Germany is the most organized, similar movements have happened in other countries to face "the past" — the post-Communist states of Europe and Asia, former dictatorships of Latin America and South Africa. Each country had differences in the way they chose to address the situation.

• Soviet Union glasnost and perestroika
• Czechoslovakian lustration
• South African truth and reconciliation