A history of europe since 1945 from the worlds largest community of readers. Trummerfrau literally translated as ruins woman or rubble woman is the germanlanguage name for women who, in the aftermath of world war ii, helped clear and reconstruct the bombed cities of germany and austria. An unflinching look at postwar germany culture arts, music and. A leading authority on 20thcentury germany combines scholarship and readability in this analysis of year zero, the turning point in the history of the german people. Learn about his younger years, his rise to power and his brutal reign that caused. The greatest campaign of book destruction in all of history. The brutal history of the allied occupation macdonogh. He works on the social and political history of modern germany, the aftermath of the two world wars and the history of policing. Feb 26, 2018 this post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. The subject of the present volume is that army mission, its origin, the manner in which it was defined, and its execution to june 1946 in the period of. What are some good books to read to understand what was. On 7 october 1949, the soviet zone became the german democratic republic, splitting germany into two states for the next 40 years. Discover librarianselected research resources on postwar germany from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. Postwar peace was achieved with the abdication and exile of kaiser wilhelm ii, the.
The occupation was, moreover, a major event in german history and in the history of the postwar world. History to the early middle ages at the end of the 2d cent. Theres a line in the book where she talks about how the german men liked to come back and talk. This council oversaw the transformation of postwar germany, issuing directives on a range of matters including the rules of military occupation, the demobilisation of the german military, the denazification of german life and a process for dealing with war criminals. Catastrophe and identity in post war german literature by aaron horton the purpose of this study is to examine selected german literature dealing with issues of history and identity in light of the catastrophic reshaping of society after world war ii and reunification. The weimar constitution created a semipresidential system in which power was divided between the president, a cabinet and a parliament. Oct 23, 2009 the 20th anniversary of the fall of the infamous berlin wall offers a chance to reflect on the german capitals long and often troubled past. Dec 15, 2010 background of post wwii german history.
Even a casual reader of modern european history will have acquired, if only by osmosis, a reasonably solid understanding of how and why the germans reaped what they had sown, will be familiar with the success and shortcomings of the nuremberg war. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. The shocking history of the brutal occupation of germany after the second world war when the third reich collapsed in 1945, germany was a nation in tatters, in many places literally flattened by bombs. After years of relative neglect, the reconstruction of post war germany has recently become a major research focus for historians. The post world war ii occupation of germany was a huge and diverse undertaking spanning almost eleven years, conducted in conjunction with three other members of the wartime alliance and involving in various degrees a number of us governmental departments and agencies. Modern germany is a liberal democracy that has become. List of books and articles about postwar germany online research. He makes it clear that the question of austria was from the very beginning inextricably linked with the more important question of germany.
Giles macdonoghs shocking new book gives a very different and long. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere. Bc, the german tribes began to expand at the expense of the celts, but they were confined by roman conquests 1st cent. He is a member of the editorial boards of german history and history today. Top 10 books about postwar britain books the guardian. Jun 03, 2010 a magisterial and acclaimed history of post war europe, from germany to poland, from western europe to eastern europe, selected as one of new york times ten best books of the year europe in 1945 was drained.
Deutsches reich upon defeat of nazi germany in world war ii, when the victorious allies asserted joint authority and sovereignty over germany as a whole, defined as all territories of the former german reich west of the oderneisse line, having. Run, dont walk, to your nearest bookstore or library and get richard j. I just finished reading cornelius ryans classic book the last battle, focusing on the battle of berlin. His books include political violence and the rise of nazism, germany after the first world war and nazism and war. In the 1950s and 60s about 786,000 germans immigrated to the united states. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books. Oct 01, 2010 he works on the social and political history of modern germany, the aftermath of the two world wars and the history of policing. The guns of the south has the confederates equipped with ak47s by. Richard bessel suggests that germans suffering at the end of the war helped.
The survey that follows is a very general outline of the complex history of germany. Ill be adding to this list over time, and any suggestions for more books are welcome. The weimar republic was germanys government from 1919 to 1933, the period after world war i until the rise of nazi germany. A vivid and compelling account of germanys postwar years debunks.
The author of savage continent, winner of the hesselltiltman history prize, recommends essential reading for understanding the sheer scale of suffering, dislocation and fighting after the war was over. Evanss the coming of the third reich and the third reich in power. Catastrophe and identity in postwar german literature by aaron horton the purpose of this study is to examine selected german literature dealing with issues of history and identity in light of the catastrophic reshaping of society after world war ii and reunification. Shot on location in germany only two years after world war ii ended, roberto rossellinis postwar drama germany year zero, the final chapter of his war trilogy, is not only a devastating. A magisterial and acclaimed history of postwar europe, from germany to poland, from western europe to eastern europe, selected as one of new york times ten best books of the year. Europe and the mediterrean atlas and the second world war asia and the pacific atlas. Germany in the occupation period was the state of germany german. Although germany existed as a loose polity of germanicspeaking peoples for millennia, a united german nation in roughly its present form dates only to 1871. From actionpacked eyewitness accounts such as guadalcanal diary to devastating holocaust memoirs like the diary of anne frank and night to the thrilling espionage tale of operation mincemeat, world war ii is the subject of some of the most fascinating and influential nonfiction books ever written each year, seemingly dozens of new titles emerge to offer fresh perspectives and uncover. He discusses the various proposals for post war austria and connects for the first time the issues of anschluss, german question, cold war, and the state treaty. History on the net authentic history 19301939 the road to war germany. In post wwii years of 19491958, 375,000 germans immigrated to the united states. The same as the history books in other western countries.
The germans dont hide any of their history from their children,or attempt to excuse it as such. Discover librarianselected research resources on allied occupation of germany from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. Dec 09, 2008 the books has since been broken up, expanded, and rebranded as the second world war. The coming of the third reich covers the ascent of hitler and the nazi party from its creation to. Peter j carrollap t he decades immediately after the second world war must have felt like a strange time to be alive. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. The 20th anniversary of the fall of the infamous berlin wall offers a chance to reflect on the german capitals long and often troubled past. Post world war ii history skip to main search results. Distinguished british historian martin gilbert was the official biographer of winston churchill and wrote a number of essential books on 20th century history and the holocaustincluding never again. He discusses the various proposals for postwar austria and connects for the first time the issues of anschluss, german question, cold war, and the state treaty. A political history of the postwar years by alfred grosser. There is a tendency to blame everything on the nazis rather than on germany or germans the official line in germany now is that the german people themselves were the first victims of the nazis. The 17 best books on world war i of 2020 thoughtco. Post war peace was achieved with the abdication and exile of kaiser wilhelm ii, the creation of the weimar republic, and german acceptance of the treaty of versailles.
It is the definitive history of the us civil war it gives equal treatment to both sides, and is more than one million words, but is never boring. With landgericht by ursula krechel, another historical novel has been awarded the german book prize. The marshall plan in the immediate aftermath of world war ii, the most important question for the victorious allies was not whether such a heavily damaged region could ever recover, but whether it should ever recover. Complete with chapters on education, war crime trials, memorialization and germany and the holocaust today, as well as a number of illustrations, maps and a detailed bibliography, postwar germany and the holocaust is a pivotal text for anyone interested in understanding the full impact of the holocaust in germany.
The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. In this absorbing and devastating work, gilbert examines the actions taken and. Postwar germany and the holocaust perspectives on the. With hundreds of cities having suffered significant bombing and firestorm damage through. The books have detailed maps of all campaigns, not just the ones involving americans. Nov 30, 2016 some of the following books all but one of them novels were published at the time.
Army in world war ii series the armys official history of world war ii commonly referred to as the green books are listed in the following sections. The toll of the human catastrophe experienced in postwar germany would certainly rank among the greatest in modern peacetime history, far exceeding the deaths that occurred during the ukrainian famine of the early 1930s and possibly even approaching the wholly unintentional losses during maos great leap forward of 195961. The black eagle inn by christoph fischer, the reader by bernhard schlink, german boy. Postwar europe was a scene of both physical and moral destruction. Dec 17, 2015 complete with chapters on education, war crime trials, memorialization and germany and the holocaust today, as well as a number of illustrations, maps and a detailed bibliography, postwar germany and the holocaust is a pivotal text for anyone interested in understanding the full impact of the holocaust in germany. Peter wilson, chichele professor of the history of war at oxford university and author of the most recent general history of the war, europes tragedy. Home browse history military history wars, battles, and military interventions world war ii allied occupation of germany. The weimar republic wwi fighting ended with the armistice of november 11, 1918.
It is impossible, therefore, to divorce postwar germanys economic history from the development of european integration. Some of the following books all but one of them novels were published at the time. Even better, the new version are spiralbound, which stands up better against wear and tear. I will provide a description of germany at the finish of world war ii which will demonstrate why many people chose to immigrate to countries such as. Modern germany is a liberal democracy that has become ever more integrated with and central to a united europe. After the reich is to my mind the definitive account of germanys postwar experience.
Harris 1992 novel is among the ultimate alternate world war ii stories. Gse history wje usa 19292000 the usa and the wider world division of germany on 23 may 1949 the sectors of germany controlled by france, the uk and the usa were merged to form the federal republic of germany. List of books and articles about allied occupation of germany. His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. Tony judts postwar makes one lament the overuse of the word groundbreaking. Catastrophe and identity in postwar german literature. This epic threevolume masterpiece is to war what gibbons decline and fall of the roman empire was to history. I am a 48 year old german, born in 1968 and raised in the southern part of the free state of bavaria. Jul 10, 2018 the toll of the human catastrophe experienced in postwar germany would certainly rank among the greatest in modern peacetime history, far exceeding the deaths that occurred during the ukrainian famine of the early 1930s and possibly even approaching the wholly unintentional losses during maos great leap forward of 195961. The contributors to this volume were among the first to evaluate the archives relevant to their topic and are hence able to present many fresh insights into allied occupation policy in the late 1940s, revealing the painful adjustment which german industry. After years of relative neglect, the reconstruction of postwar germany has recently become a major research focus for historians. Sep 19, 2019 joseph stalin 18781953 was the dictator of the union of soviet socialist republics ussr from 1929 to 1953.