Though the starting point is quite different, there still is a poignant similarity in German consciousness: the guilt of their forefathers is a heavy burden that - IMHO - makes dealing with others as well as with oneself more difficult, and comes to the fore above all by dumping a thick moralizing sauce over all social debates!
Discussion
Very much worth paying attention to. I have heard this makes Germans some of the most generous people in the world. I lived in an orphanage in El Salvador that received the majority of its operating funds from Germany. It was attributed to the same cause you mention.
"Moralizing sauce" does tend to stick in the craw.