Vergangenheitsbewältigung[1] (German: [fɛɐ̯ˈɡaŋənhaɪtsbəˌvɛltɪɡʊŋ], "struggle to overcome the [negatives of the] past" or “working through the past”)[2] is a German term describing processes that since the later 20th century have become key in the study of post-1945 German literature, society, and culture.