Both had a welltrained labor force and an important export component, although their exports went largely in opposite directions. The more boring of the two methods made up the vast bulk. After the berlin wall fell, did eastern germany experience an. Konrad adenauer of the christian democratic union, a veteran roman catholic politician from the rhineland, was elected the countrys first. Interview with professor jeffrey diefendorf jeffrey diefendorf has written several books about the reconstruction of both germany and japan after world war ii. Establishment historians characterize national socialist germany as a uniquely barbaric, vile and criminal regime that was totally responsible for starting world war ii and carrying out some of the most heinous war crimes in world history. Recent television news coverage of vukovar, the town in eastern croatia. 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. After world war ii east germany was left with only onequarter of its prewar resources, but was required by the ussr to pay threequarters of overall german reparations to aid soviet war recovery. Because of the cold war, there was no comprehensive peace settlement after the second world war as there had been in 1919. What are some good books of world war 2 from a german. Johnson yates high school fighting when there is no hope of victory is not mad. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. They both concentrated on industrial production, especially machine tools, chemicals, automobiles, and precision manufactures.
The industrial revolution began about a century later in germany than it did in england. Shopping centers multiplied, rising from eight at the end of world war ii to 3,840 in 1960. Dec 15, 2010 background of postwwii german history. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Discover librarianselected research resources on east germany from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines. German economist walter eucken is credited with developing the social. Many industries soon followed, leaving cities for less crowded sites. It lasted from 1939 to 1945 and involved 30 countries from every part of the globe. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. List of books and articles about east germany online research. Laws were written, but they were not practiced in everyday life. Why did germany experience an economic miracle after ww2. After world war ii the german economy lay in shambles.
The physical devastation from allied bombing campaigns and from ground battles was enormous. Did eastern germany experience an economic miracle. A chapter is devoted to each country, while the introductory chapter presents a comparative overview. The reconstruction of germany after world war ii was a long process. Why were innocent german men, women and children persecuted and thrown out from their centuries old homes. What happened afterwards, though, shows the difference between socialism and free enterprise. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state. Germany had suffered heavy losses during the war, both in lives and industrial power. The german economic miracle refers to germany s rebirth as a global economic power after the devastation of world war ii. It was a decade of soaring growth rates, ample employment, and relatively low inflation. This book is designed to counteract the onesided bias of establishment historians against germany in regard to world war ii.
After about a year of unpleasant experience, the americans realised that they could hardly cooperate with the russians on the german economic reconstruction and. Germany was stripped of its war gains and lost territories in the east to poland and the soviet union. In december he made his first official visit to east germany, where he agreed to establish joint economic, cultural, and environmental commissions. The united states, soviet union, western european and east asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and sustained growth, together with full employment. World war ii was the deadliest military conflict in history. It was formed from part of the soviet occupation zone of germany, including part of the city of berlin.
The aftermath of world war ii was the beginning of a new era, defined by the decline of all european colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers. Origins of the german economic miracle foundation for. Nov 21, 2019 this column, part of a vox debate on wwii, lays out three factors that made this paradox possible. The united states, soviet union, western european and east asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and sustained. It aims to provide a text of statistical reference for those interested in international and comparative economic history, the history of world war ii, the history of economic policy, and comparative economic. In the latest in a series of articles on how world war ii changed forever the countries that fought it, kirsten ripper looks at germany, the instigator of the conflict and a nation that would be. The nazis and their allies were bad and they did evil things.
But instead, pentup consumer demand fueled exceptionally strong economic growth in the post war period. This year marks the 40th anniversary of ludwig erhards sweeping free market reforms which gave economic freedom to over 80 million germans and began west germany s 30year postwar economic miracle. Britain and france combined had a greater industrial output, but only the united states had a greater industrial base. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii charles river editors on. At the end of world war ii, germany was in a shambles. After almost two decades in power, ulbricht had failed to fix the stagnating east german economy.
Its written by a german housewife in berlin when the russians arrive in 1945 and she, like many of her countrywomen, really bore the brunt of soviet brutality after the liberation of berlin. The crisis of communism and the end of east germany. Germany began world war ii as the most heavily industrilized country in eyrope. Soviet industrial capcity is more difficult to assess, but was probably comprable to german production. Mar 15, 2018 1987 east german leader erich honecker pays first official. The postworld war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. East germanys communist economy, by contrast, stagnated. Jul 24, 2014 this 1946 british documentary short film depicts the shattered state of germany, both physically and as a society, in the immediate aftermath of world war ii. World war ii killed around 70 million people, or 4% of the worlds population.
Women in postwar berlin, east germany, form a chain gang to pass pails of rubble to a rubble dump, to clear bombed areas in the russian sector of the city. Economic conditions in west germany and east germany diverged. East germany had a command economy similar to the economic system in the soviet union. Once the wall went up in 1961 life for east berlin began to improve under the communist system.
This book discusses the origins, aftermath, and atrocities of world war ii from a german perspective. By resolving the coal and steel conflicts that had stood between france and germany since world war ii, it did, however, remove the. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern europe. The rights and privileges granted to german women after world war ii were, however, not implemented very well. The german economy selfdefines as a soziale marktwirtschaft, or social market economy, to emphasize that the system as it has developed after world war ii has both a material and a socialor humandimension. A fter world war ii the german economy lay in shambles. World war ii aftermath in germany economic collapse. World war ii timeline allied powers and leaders axis powers and leaders causes of ww2 war in europe war in the pacific after the war battles. Historians argue over the exact numbers, so most of the following figures are from the fallen of world war ii.
In post wwii years of 19491958, 375,000 germans immigrated to the united states. This article is adapted from the book outline of the u. The german state had ceased to exist, and sovereign authority passed to the victorious allied powers. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii recommended by keith lowe. Feb 12, 2020 the german economic miracle refers to germanys rebirth as a global economic power after the devastation of world war ii. Economy by conte and karr and has been adapted with permission from the u. The term market is of significance, as free enterprise is considered to be main driving force fora healthy economy. Four rounds of twoplusfour talks were held in mid1990 involving the two germanies and the four powers that occupied germany after world war ii. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world. In the gdr german democratic republic, women were given many opportunities from the right of employment to a certain abortion policy. The german economy became the driving force within the community. Beforethe third reich the east german economy hadper capita national income103 percent of west germany, compared to a mere 31 percent in 1991.
People had excellent healthcare facilities and free public transport. After the war had ended in europe, 12 million germans were held as. Culture what germany s postwar refugees taught us about integration. Difference between east and west germany compare the. Perhaps a plane was shot down and crashed into the ground. After world war ii, 12 million refugees and expellees came to germany a country that was in tatters and hardly had any food. The postwar division of germany and the construction of the berlin. Food production per capita in 1947 was only 51 percent of its level in 1938, and the official food ration set by the occupying powers varied between 1,040 and 1,550 calories per day. The east german and west german economies at the time of unification looked very similar. The morgenthau plan for postwar germany september 1944 the london protocol dividing postwar germany september 1944. In domestic affairs ulbrichts first concern was to rebuild the east german economy. Now, almost a quarter century after the wall fell, a team of leading economic historians has produced a nuanced and indispensable assessment of its crisisstrewn history from world war ii to the present. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii kindle edition by charles river editors.
In 1949, four years after the end of the war, the socialist unity party of germany sed proclaimed the foundation of the german democratic republic gdr, also known as east germany, in place of the soviet zone. The 1960s epitomized a golden age in germany s economic development. In 1949 the american, british and french zones merged to form a unified nation. Food production per capita in 1947 was only 51 percent of its level in 1938, and the official food ration set by the occupying powers varied between 1,040 and 1,550 calories. The postworld 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. East germanys last remaining economic facilities were dismantled by the. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
Comparing the economic growth of east germany to west germany. Allied soldiers including canadians raped thousands of. The nes produced some shortterm improvements but again, these reforms proved too superficial to achieve lasting change. In the early 1970s, however, the global economic bubble burst.
For a young kid today, there is only germany, a powerful country in europe. In an attempt to gauge just how far eastern germany has come, the studys authors looked at the economies of west germany between 1950 and 1956, and of the eastern german. Ethnic cleansing of germans after ww2 what the nazis did was downright evil, but what the allies did as the second world war ended to germans and germany was no less evil. The pamela shulman professor in european and holocaust studies at the university of new hampshire, he has looked at the way planning shaped the rebuilding of postconflict societies. East germany simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Oct, 2006 defeated ww2 german industrial giants back on top reuters some of germanys most successful businesses have a history of arming germany with the tools of war, and they rebounded remarkably from their last defeat. He may have heard about east and west germany, but that only through history books as the two parts of germany existed separately for 45 years from 1945 till 1990, when the berlin wall, the physical border of the two germanys, was brought down, and the two united again. Discover librarianselected research resources on german economic history. Economy of east germany news newspapers books scholar. The eastern half became a socialist state, part of the iron curtain that was heavily influenced. I would like to add a view from the lovely northwest german countryside, where my grandparents lived right after wwii. Indeed, the 1 the ordokreis refers to a group of economists, civil servants, politicians, and other interested citizens that formed after the war around the ideas of walter eucken, and which was concerned with problems of organizing the postwar german economy along. Up to 14 millions people displaced, half a million dying in the process.
The german wehrmacht was demobilized following the unconditional surrender on may 8, 1945 but not all of the third reichs armed forces were demobilized immediately. Germany s industrial infrastructure was not just severely damaged by the allied strategic. Deng xiaoping felt that the first step to modernizing chinas economy involved. The war was a disgusting cost on young lives on all sides.
For a complete picture of ww2, this is an indispensable book on a tragedy too often overlooked because it. What happened to the german army after the second world. The first free elections in east germany were held on mar. The reunification of germany and its aftermath german culture. Germany germany political consolidation and economic growth, 194969. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world news. List of books and articles about east germany online. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii if i could only own one book about the war it would be that one. Post wwii recovery and the cold war flashcards quizlet. Germany after ww2 a defeated people documentary on. After the war, trade between east and west fell by a factor of 35. The western zones occupied by the us, british and french, became the country of west germany, while the soviet occupation zone became east germany.
Following the german military leaders unconditional surrender in may 1945, the country lay prostrate. Jan 27, 2020 the united states also recognized during the postwar period the need to restructure international monetary arrangements, spearheading the creation of the international monetary fund and the world bank institutions designed to ensure an open, capitalist international economy. Normally, when people talk about the german economy after world war ii, they mean the west german economy. Four million out of the sixteen million homes in germany were destroyed during allied bombings in world war ii, with another four million damaged. After fall of berlin wall, german reunification came with a. The war, along with hitlers scorchedearth policy, had destroyed 20 percent of all housing. East germany had virtually no hard coal deposits, and only half of the fuel demand could be met domestically. This book tells the story of the biggest population displacement in the history. When willy brandt became chancellor of west germany in 1969 he began to hint at opening relations with east germany. It is wisdom because courage achieves the impossible. The germans also werent fake this time around about democracy li. It is impossible, therefore, to divorce postwar germanys economic history from. Protests across east germany lead to rapid collapse of communist rule. East germany remained under the domination of the soviet union and did.
Germany political consolidation and economic growth. After the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii, germany was divided between the two global blocs in the east and west, a period known as the division of germany. 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. Division of germany after wwii south china morning post. Which of the following phrases best describes east germany after world war ii. After the extensive development of the railway network during the 1840s. Sep 11, 2009 the second world war, especially in the light of what came after, seems to be the last morally unambiguous war. Many americans feared that the end of world war ii and the subsequent drop in military spending might bring back the hard times of the great depression. First came the zollverein toll union in 1833 that, by abolishing tolls between the various german principalities, made germany into a common market. Modern germany is a liberal democracy that has become ever more integrated with and central to a united europe.
The post world war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. Best book i have ever read about the war was a higher call. Much of east germanys industry was dismantled after reunification. The east german economy, 19452010 falling behind or catching up. Germany did not exist as a political unit until the latter part of the nineteenth century. At the end of the war, there were some eight million foreign displaced persons in germany. For the most part, the 9 employees of the ministerium fur staatssicherheit mfs, aka stasi were put to pasture during the process of reunification. By many measures, the german democratic republic gdr had the strongest economy in the eastern bloc and was one of the most important industrial nations. What is one way the united states provided europe with economic assistance after world war ii. The automobile industry successfully converted back to producing cars, and new. 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. Ostdeutschland, was founded on 7 october 1949, after world war ii. Adolf hitler had imposed price controls on the german people in 1936 so that his government could buy war.
The story behind germanys economic rebirth after world war ii. After fall of berlin wall, german reunification came with a big price tag officials scrambled for a plan to annex a bankrupt state 25 years ago. All that changed in 1945 when the victorious russians merged it into russia and called it kaliningrad. The brutal battle and subsequent loot, pillage and rape scars the german psyche even today. Planet money to understand why germany is so freaked out by what europes central bank is doing, you need to go back nearly a century. East germany, officially the german democratic republic gdr.
What happened to members of the stasi east german secret. Many east germans believed that communism was fairer than capitalist west german. What was it like to live in germany right after wwii. There was some attempt by the federal republic to prosecute various mfs agents for crimes committed under the auspices of the gdr, but they generally fizzled out. In the 1950s and 60s about 786,000 germans immigrated to the united states.
List of books and articles about postwar germany online. May 11, 2019 the entire countrys economy was then destroyed by the war. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii. List of books and articles about german economic history online. Deutsche demokratische republik ddr, commonly called east germany german. Until the early 19th century germany, a federation of numerous states of varying size and development, retained its preindustrial character, where trade centered around a number of free imperial cities. May 08, 2018 allied soldiers including canadians raped thousands of german women after second world war.
Contrary to early predictions, this high growth also included. The political history of east germany has had a number of academic and broad audience publications devoted to it. The expulsion of the germans from eastern europe after world war ii provides scholarly account that analyzes the expulsion of germans across eastern europe after the second world war, and is a fine pick for any studying the aftermath of and its wideranging implications. Legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii paperback large print.
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