In the early 1990s, reunified Germany faced surging numbers of asylum seekers and a wave of far-right violence against foreigners. In letters that German citizens wrote to President Richard von Weizsäcker, it is clear that some Germans feared that the arrival of large numbers of non-Germans would bring about the collapse of the state or the destruction of the German people. This article engages with the history of fear in postwar Germany by examining Germans’ post-reunification fears of migration and foreigners. I argue, first, that a biological understanding of race was still surprisingly widespread as late as the early 1990s. Second, I call for a substantially more nuanced understanding of German reunification, one that emphasizes uncertainty and the terrifying openness of the future. Finally, I highlight the intersection of race thinking and memory by showing that racial fears were frequently shaped by memories of Germany's dark past.

1990 年代初期，重新统一的德国面临着寻求庇护者人数激增和针对外国人的极右翼暴力浪潮。在德国公民写给理查德·冯·魏茨泽克总统的信中，很明显一些德国人担心大量非德国人的到来会导致国家崩溃或德国人民的毁灭。本文通过考察德国人统一后对移民和外国人的恐惧，来探讨战后德国的恐惧历史。我认为，首先，直到 1990 年代初，对种族的生物学理解仍然出人意料地广泛传播。其次，我呼吁对德国统一有更细致入微的理解，强调不确定性和未来可怕的开放性。最后，