THE REICHSTAG, Berlin -- Here in this building, 68 years ago, German democracy died, ushering in the darkest period of 20th-century history.
A whole nation went mad, its noble past forgotten. Thoughtful debate was replaced by crazed slogans -- about "the Greater German Reich," "Lebensraum" (living space) for the German people and, of course, "Juden raus!" (Jews out). The Reichstag itself went up in flames and was never repaired. Adolf Hitler had no need of parliaments. Doctrine and inner voices were enough.
Today, all is democratic calm and peace again, except for the sound of the cranes building the new Berlin all around. The harsh language has softened and the German Parliament again sits in the Reichstag Building, modernized by a British architect and cleansed of its horrific past, except for some preserved panels of graffiti left by Russian soldiers when they entered Berlin in 1945.