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67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Study of Germany's "Zero Hour", August 23, 2009
This review is from: Germany 1945: From War to Peace (Hardcover)
This is a masterful study of how Germans experienced the tumultuous year of 1945. Written by Richard Bessel, a leading historian of modern Germany, this work progresses chronologically from the final months of the war through the long-anticipated defeat and into the first months of the Allied occupation. The book offers 400 pages of analysis in order to convince the reader of one rather straight-forward claim: "the shock of 1945...not merely allowed but compelled Germans to leave racist imperialism behind, and made possible the German odyssey from catastrophe to democracy during the second half of the twentieth century." (390)
In the course of his study, Bessel engages a number of contemporary historical debates on Germany and Second World War. For instance, he concentrates a great deal of attention on German trauma suffered at the hands of the Allies (and not always the Soviets) as the war came to a close. This theme continues throughout the book, as he emphasizes that "the ferocity of the last months of the war and the privations of the first months of peace pushed the experiences of the previous years of war and dictatorship, as well as consciousness of what the Nazi regime had done to other peoples during the earlier phases of the conflict, into the background." (388)
Another central issue with which Bessel engages is the "zero hour." This concept -- often mentioned in postwar accounts of 1945 -- meant drawing a line with the Nazi past and beginning a new postwar era. Often criticized by historians who seek to locate important continuities across the chasm of 1945, the "zero hour" plays an important role in this work. Bessel is unapologetic in his discussion of the "zero hour" and asserts that the year 1945 did indeed mark a turning point for many Germans. Despite the many continuities that spanned the destruction of the Third Reich, Bessel argues that the perception of a clean break with the past played a critical role in helping Germans rebuild after the war.
The book addresses a number of other important themes as well -- including Allied bombings; the pointless defense of "fortress cities;" German POWs; displaced persons; expulsions from the East; looting, rape, and murder at the hands of the Allies; and denazification. Despite his focus, and the controversial ground that some would say he is walking, he maintains his perspective as an historian. In detailing the horrors that accompanied the arrival of the Soviets in many German areas (a chapter fittingly entitled "Revenge"), Bessel reminds the reader of how the Germans had treated Soviets as they pushed toward Moscow in 1941. In detailing the vengeance that befell the guards of liberated concentration camps, he explains that the reactions of both blood-thirsty survivors and angry American soldiers were "sadly understandable." (164)
There are lots of other gems to be found in this book. One such example would be Bessel's discussions of the stringent policies of the French in their zone (and the striking similarities with the Soviet zone, perhaps owing to their shared experience as peoples who had suffered through German occupations). Another would be the geographical diversity of Bessel's sources. He draws evidence from small Bavarian villages, towns on the Dutch border, urban centers such as Cologne, Berlin, and Munich, and rural areas in the East. He often integrates lengthy passages from these sources into his narrative -- sometimes a bit more liberally than is necessary -- but they always enhance his argument.
There's very little to quibble with in this book. Arguably his book is over-bearing at times. In a book targeted at a popular audience, one might think that Bessel could trim away some of his examples. Yet it is hard to fault an historian for being thorough. Others might criticize Bessel for not engaging more recent scholarly literature on trauma, death, and the air war. Then again, one never gets the feeling that he has missed something or diverted our attention from the issues at hand. Bessel's "Germany 1945" is a well-organized and engaging account of how Germans experienced a year that, quite literally, changed everything.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The rest of the story!, October 6, 2009
This review is from: Germany 1945: From War to Peace (Hardcover)
This interesting book focuses upon a topic not too often discussed: what happened to Germany in the period immediately after the end of the World War II. Too often, we think that the defeat of the Third Reich ends the story--but really it has just begun. One of the valuable dimensions of this book is that the author has written "Germany After the First World War" and offers incisive comments comparing the two postwar periods. For example, when the first war ended, no destruction had occurred on German territory--by contrast in 1945, Germany was almost totally reduced to ruins by the fighting and incessant bombing campaign of the allies. In part, the author argues, the continued fighting long beyond any chance for German victory was a deliberate ploy by the Nazis to foreclose any chance of another Versailles treaty and betrayal--so fight to the bitter end. The first major chapter covers 1945 battle events. The amount of troops, tanks, and artillery the Russians alone brought to bear during the January offensive is simply amazing: 2.2 million troops; 7000 tanks and 5 army groups versus 400,000 German troops of varied quality. This is not even to mention the bloody fighting in the West. Some excellent maps help recount this part of the story.Succeeding chapters discuss the millions of Germans fleeing from the Soviets and other folks fleeing from Germany as it collapsed. The Russians massed even more firepower when attacking Berlin: 2.5 million troops; 6,260 tanks, 42,000 pieces of artillery and mortars. No wonder the city was nearly levelled. After the fall of the city, Admiral Donitz who now headed the government wanted to surrender to the Americans in the West but to continue fighting the Russians in the East to protect German civilians. Ike flatly refused this proposal.
The author then moves into his prime topic--the postwar period. The murder and mayhem that came on the heels of the defeat are recounted in detail. One effective device of the author is to, at various points, focus on the writings of individuals caught up in the turbulence--such as Victor Klemperer. So we see the events on both macro and micro levels. The revenge the Soviets unleshed the subject of another chapter. Then the author offers a very solid discussion of the occupation plans of each of the 4 occupying allies. All allied nations were hostile to the German population, considered them morally bankrupt and guilty of unspeakable crimes, so occupation was not handled with kid gloves, certainly not by the Americans. The "Loss of the East" recounts the Allied decision to remove Germany from Eastern Europe, with the author focusing on the transformation of Stettin on the Baltic into Szczecin in Poland. The DP's or displaced persons are examined, numbering in excess of eleven million wandering over eastern and western Europe. What to do with Germany is the topic of another chapter. Should Germany be turned into an agricultural state or allowed to rebuild its industrial base? The Americans had a hot internal debate over this. One change from the first war was that reparations were to be made in goods, not money. So the Russians removed whole factories and inventories of equipment and goods back home.
The author ends on a happier note: that Germany did come back from the brink. Moreover, it abandoned militarism due to five factors the author discusses. In 400 pages, this book is a very complete discussion of these and related issues. The author supports his narrative with 92 pages of notes and a good selective bibliography, as well as a very helpful collection of photographs. This book makes it clear that while the Germans suffered after the war, while their victims had suffered enormously during the war, the issue of respective moralities is much more complicated than that. One needs the facts to sort these issues out and this fine book is a solid step in that direction.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Intermittently interesting, frequently irritating, January 5, 2010
This review is from: Germany 1945: From War to Peace (Hardcover)
The author's premise is well supported by exhaustive research and a balanced approach to the suffering of the German people post-WWII. However, the book reads like a first or second draft badly in need of page-to-page and sometimes paragraph-to-paragraph editing. In more cases than I can count, the author appears to have forgotten what he had written just sentences before, so that the text repeats over and over, often verbatim. An experienced editor should have taken the book apart and put it back together in a less repetitive and irritating way. Overall, though, the book is a challenging but ultimately rewarding read on an important subject if you have the time and patience.
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