The countrys cities were severely damaged from heavy bombing in the closing chapters of the war and agricultural. German literature german literature the 20th century. A life of field marshall erwin rommel by david fraser. How were germans treated by the americans after ww2. This book received a hostile reception in germany when it was first published in the 1950s and it was only reprinted after the authors death a few years ago, wasnt it. This book gives an insight to the lives of the german people, and those of german decent who lived in neighboring countries who after the war had been sent to. In france, the vichy period, after frances defeat by germany, when there was. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. However, there were times where it deviated from its focus. The accuracy of the content in the book is correct.
Photographer frederike helwig reveals how they remember childhoods in nazi germany. Estimates vary, but by the 1920s, there were about 10,000 to 25,000 black people in germany, most of them in berlin or other metropolitan areas. Displaced people from the east had been pouring though the town for weeks, and the stories they told were grim. Frederick taylors compelling book debunks many myths about the immediate. During the final weeks of the third reich and the war in europe, many civilians, government officials and military personnel throughout germany committed suicide.
The german masssuicide victims in the final weeks of the war are the heroes of florian hubers book promise me youll shoot yourself, which came out in english this year after being published in german in 2006. Of these, expressionism is the best known and most important. The journalist osmar white, a war correspondent from australia who served with the american troops during the war, wrote that. Displaced people from the east had been pouring though the. Added to the millions of german books destroyed worldwide during the anti german hysteria of world war one, far more german books were destroyed. A decade after witnesses of war, his impressive deconstruction. In december 1944, the vatican secretariat of state received permission to appoint a representative to visit the german speaking civil internees in italy, a job assigned to hudal. The german capital, berlin, was also divided into four sectors. A book examines germanys mass suicides after world war ii. The story of world war ii seen through the eyes of regular german citizens. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. After the end of the war in italy, hudal became active in ministering to german speaking prisoners of war and internees then held in camps throughout italy.
After the fighting moved on to german soil, there was a good deal of rape by combat troops and those immediately following them. The book outlines as to the inhumane treatment of citizens and many easter european countires of german decent during the latter part of wwii, and for 2 or more years afater the war, had been treated, abused physically, sexually, deprived of their posessions, and loaded on cattle cars trains after spending a few months or years in. Germany had suffered heavy losses during the war, both in lives and industrial power. Richard bessel suggests that germans suffering at the end of the war. Though there were no surprises for me, i still enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. After world war i, more blacks, mostly french senegalese soldiers or their offspring, ended up in the rhineland region and other parts of germany. With some remarkable footage and moving testimony, this film is an important addition to the history of post war.
Although this book gives some interesting and indepth information about the major battles of wwii, the main purpose of the author is to explain why the german volk continued to fight to the doors of the german chancellery as berlin was being destroyed around them. Nazi eugenics parenting aryan children german evolution hitler occult ss darwin. What are some good books of world war 2 from a german. A nation under arms, 19391945 is a nonfiction book written by historian nicholas stargardt. Using authoritative sources footnoted the book outlines the war aims of the nazi leadership as if they were realized. I havent read it, but expect it to lay out many of the littleknown atrocities committed by allied forces just after the war. After the war rein lived and wrote in east germany, but in the 1950s he left for west germany. For example, in germany for many years all sorts of groups have claimed that two or three million germans were killed in revenge after the war. It is estimated that over a third of all german books had already been destroyed by bombing in west germany alone, and this does not include those books in the areas taken from germany after the war. German girls and women have never stopped paying the price for germany s defeat.
The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. Dr bessel examines the changes brought by the war to germany, and those resulting from the return of the soldiers to civilian. A religious settlement was reached only after the devastating thirty years war 161848, which was a crushing setback to the cause of german unity. The reasons for the brutality of this era were threefold. They raped every german female from eight to 80 books. John gimbel comes to the conclusion in his book, science technology and reparations.
His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. Centering upon the thoughts and actions of the citizens living inside nazi germany during the second world war, the author argues that the war crimes committed by adolf hitlers domineering state had widespread awareness among regular people. This book may be about war, but it is, like most of these books, mostly about people. Germany after the first world war by richard bessel. Melita maschmann, a former nazi, published just such a book. After the war germany was divided into four temporary occupation zones, roughly based on the locations of the allied armies. Best book i have ever read about the war was a higher call. No one in demmin, according to hubers account, expected the red army to come as saviours. The book after the war, by carol matas, was in my opinion, an excellent read. In this massive but thorough meditation, stargardt european historymagdalen coll. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. Agent of byzantium has the byzantine empire surviving. Lot time life the third reich 1st printing complete set of 21 wwii books ex.
This book shows us what a terrible confused and conflicted mess germany was after the war. But the surviving inmates were soon replaced by german captives dachau, buchenwald, sachsenhausen and even auschwitz stayed in business after the war. The whole country must have been in a state of ptsd for decades. This was a book where i learned some things about wwii and its aftermath. Books how the war was lost by the allies and how the world looks in the year 2000. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. Why a wave of suicides washed over germany after the nazi. The world war ii german air force the luftwaffe was a force to be reckoned with. The third reich and the united states are locked in a cold war, and harris delights in dropping hints concerning everything that is different as a. The mass suicide of ordinary germans in 1945, german historian florian huber sheds light on a darkly fascinating period. This is a social history of germany in the years following the first world war. I am a 48 year old german, born in 1968 and raised in the southern part of the free state of bavaria. How three million germans died after ve day telegraph. Soon after her release from internment in 1948, maschmann wrote a letter to a.
Why are german women supposed to feel guilt for wwii. With landgericht by ursula krechel, another historical novel has been awarded the german book prize. As stargardts research makes very very clear, the german war was a war supported, even after the wehrmacht began retreating following stalingrad and kursk, by the majority of the german people the volk and by a probably greater majority of their various leaders religious, social, political, and especially in the entertainment industry. It got sidetracked in austria for a while, and its endless focus on the brutal allied actions in occupied germany in the immediate aftermath of war was. A new book has gathered the memories of kriegskinder, next to portraits of them as they are now. Until the nazis came to power, black musicians and. After the defeat in the great war, germany floundered for an incredibly dark decade, in which failed revolutions, starvation, suicide, and paramilitary scuffles all played a part. The guns of the south has the confederates equipped with ak47s by. Antony beevor, author of the acclaimed new book about the fall of berlin, on a massive war crime committed by the victorious red army. In the book germany s war, a more detailed account is given providing a comprehensive insight into the genocidal vengeance wrecked on germany. Harris 1992 novel is among the ultimate alternate world war ii stories.
German modernism emerged from turnofthecentury aestheticism. Its going to feel weird reading a book about a german general in wwii but for rommel we must make an exception. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the war torn skies of world war ii if i could only own one book about the war it would be that one. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world news the. The chief theater of the war, germany was reduced to misery and starvation, lost a large part of its population, and became, as a result of the peace of westphalia 1648. Views are taken from all sides, but german voices are given predominance. In addition to highranking nazi officials like adolf hitler, joseph goebbels, heinrich himmler, philipp bouhler and martin bormann, many others chose selbstmord german for suicide, literally selfmurder rather than accept the. The reconstruction of germany after world war ii was a long process. Day of judgment by jack higgins, berlin 1961 by frederick kempe, orderly and humane. After the reich had its moments of great interest as it recounted the chaotic, brutal, and bloody aftermath of world war 2 in germany. In a sobering and courageous book, after the reich. Exploitation and plunder in postwar germany, that the.
His books include political violence and the rise of nazism, germany after the first world war and nazism and war. An unflinching look at postwar germany culture arts, music and. The second world war caused unprecedented hardship, but it also accelerated change. It can be argued that the last six months of world war ii in europe saw a calculated battle of attrition in which the allies pitted large numbers of good aircraft and welltrained crews against smaller numbers of advanced german fighters and the facilities that built them and made their fuel. How the children of nazi germany remember world war two. The incidence varied between unit and unit according to the attitude of the commanding. W hat happened to germany immediately after world war ii. Nicholas stargardts the german war comes therefore as something of a reality check, a shock to the system or my system at least. This book also reports the allied mass murder of the german people after the end of world war ii during which the alliesled by general dwight d. Germany s defeat and the subsequent demobilization of her armies had devastating social and psychological consequences for the nation, which richard bessel sets out to explore in this book. Like european modernism as a whole, german modernism was in fact a cluster of different literary movements, including expressionism, neue sachlichkeit new objectivity, and dada.
The war was lost and yet 60 year old men and 14 year old boys took up arms and sacrificed themselves for the homeland. This novel displays drama and the after effect of world war 2 for the jews. The decisive blow came in january, when a red army invasion force. The german war, by nicholas stargardt the new york times. The book didnt sell at all in germany in the 1950s, while in britain and the united states it sold modestly well. My grandfather was born in the area of stettin, germany in the 19th century. Mass starvation of germans, 19451950 eisenhowers death camps back genocide food as a weapon of war allied war crimes more than nine million germans died as a result of deliberate allied starvation and expulsion policies after the second world war, including 1. The german war takes us into the lives of men and women from all walks of life, as they fought, survived and suffered grunts, tank commanders, staff officers. This question is often overshadowed by the liberation of the concentration camps and the onset of the cold war. Too much attention is given to the actual war, and too little is given to the periods before and after.
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