Germany 1945: From War to Peace Paperback – August 3, 2010

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.

Let me say at the outset that this is a historical volume of such great sweep that I find it difficult to sum up briefly, but here are some highlights.

What receives coverage in popular documentaries about World War II are the events leading to its start and the battles of the war itself. What seems to be missing from such coverage is what happened after the last shot was fired. What happened to Germany? What happened to the German people who found themselves living amidst the rubble and ruin of a post-Nazi world? The landscape of their nation was laid waste by the world's first "total war" -- a war which extended well beyond defined battlefields, expanding to include the populations of major cities.

Richard Bessel does an excellent job of sketching the fateful year of 1945 -- from the last agonizing months of the war in which it was clear that the Nazi leadership would continue to prosecute the war despite certain defeat, to the first tentative months of recovery immediately following German capitulation. Bessel divides the arc of this story into several blocks: (1) the desperate and hopeless military actions of the Reich's final months, (2) the delusional propaganda that was perpetuated to the German population during that time, (3) the final days of the Reich, (4) the psychological state of the German people following the defeat, (5) the actions of the occupation forces and their interactions with the local populace, and (6) the reestablishment of a manufacturing base and the seeds of Germany's political future. Quite a bit of attention is also devoted to the fluctuation of border populations in which Germans who had asserted dominance in Poland and Czechoslovakia during the war years either fled or were physically forced out by Poles and Czechs.

Somewhat controversially Bessel attempts to explain German feelings of victimhood following the war. This may be incomprehensible from an outsider's standpoint considering the atrocities committed by a nation which once eagerly followed its Nazi leaders. While never justifying it, Bessel argues that this feeling of victimhood arose from having lived through the consequences of the war in which almost every element of civilized life was destroyed as well as the harsh treatment the experienced under the hands of the victors. Specifically, treatment under the Soviets: organized rape and theft, expulsion, forced labor, multi-year detention to name but a few.

Anyone who ever wondered what price the German people paid for having ever been under sway of the Nazi party and for being perpetrators of some of the greatest crimes in human history should have no doubt that they paid a dear and terrible price. The suffering was deep and well distributed to the entire population. Does it balance the scales for what they did? There seem to be many other books which analyze that question.

I was born in Germany in 1941 and personally remember the traumas that many Germans underwent who had NOTHING to do with the war, who to had been victims of the madman called Hitler. 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 Germany. Their experiences and been quite tragic, and many, many people by the millions) lost their lives - - after the war, for actions by governments and people out of retribution for crimes of a madman and his henchmen.

I thought thus was a very impressive book. I get so tired of poorly organized renderings of history, but Bessell laid out his narrative brilliantly. The first four brutal months of the year read like a military history--an almost exciting page turner. Then the ramifications of the carnage wrought by Hitler's refusal to surrender are examined over the next eight months, including administration, vengeance, ideology, race, religion, economic recovery, etc. On top of that Bessell is a good writer with insightful prose.

I completely recommend this book.