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The author differentiates five phases of representation of the Holocaust in West German history books and lessons. Attempts to deal with the subject in a serious and comprehensive way in some post-war school textbooks were repressed in the 1950s. The students' movement, intensive research work and increased political attention on right-wing tendencies brought a change in the 1960s. New didactic methods such as source work and regional historical approaches were adopted, intended to give pupils greater insight into the individual areas of dictatorship and enable them to form their own opinion of the activities at that time. In the meantime, National Socialism is usually the area of German 20th century history dealt with in the most detail. The increasing distance in time to the period in question, the dissolution of the Socialist bloc, reunification and the multicultural nature of school classes have produced new teaching conditions, which on the one hand create a greater distance from the subject but on the other hand call for comparison of genocide, war and exile in the present time or from the history of other peoples. (By the author)