Download or read book Germany and Eastern Europe written by Keith Bullivant and published by Rodopi. This book was released on 1999 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The opening up, and subsequent tearing down, of the Berlin Wall in 1989 effectively ended a historically unique period for Europe that had drastically changed its face over a period of fifty years and redefined, in all sorts of ways, what was meant by East and West. For Germany in particular this radical change meant much more than unification of the divided country, although initially this process seemed to consume all of the country's energies and emotions. While the period of the Cold War saw the emergence of a Federal Republic distinctly Western in orientation, the coming down of the Iron Curtain meant that Germany's relationship with its traditional neighbours to the East and the South-East, which had been essentially frozen or redefined in different ways for the two German states by the Cold War, had to be rediscovered. This volume, which brings together scholars in German Studies from the United States, Germany and other European countries, examines the history of the relationship between Germany and Eastern Europe and the opportunities presented by the changes of the 1990's, drawing particular attention to the interaction between the willingness of German and its Eastern neighbours to work for political and economic inte-gration, on the one hand, and the cultural and social problems that stem from old prejudices and unresolved disputes left over from the Second World War, on the other.
Download or read book Orderly and Humane written by R. M. Douglas and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2012-06-26 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The award-winning history of 12 million German-speaking civilians in Europe who were driven from their homes after WWII: “a major achievement” (New Republic). Immediately after the Second World War, the victorious Allies authorized the forced relocation of ethnic Germans from their homes across central and southern Europe to Germany. The numbers were almost unimaginable: between 12 and 14 million civilians, most of them women and children. And the losses were horrifying: at least five hundred thousand people, and perhaps many more, died while detained in former concentration camps, locked in trains, or after arriving in Germany malnourished, and homeless. In this authoritative and objective account, historian R.M. Douglas examines an aspect of European history that few have wished to confront, exploring how the forced migrations were conceived, planned, and executed, and how their legacy reverberates throughout central Europe today. The first comprehensive history of this immense manmade catastrophe, Orderly and Humane is an important study of the largest recorded episode of what we now call "ethnic cleansing." It may also be the most significant untold story of the World War II.
Download or read book The Shortest History of Germany written by James Hawes and published by The Experiment. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2,000 years of all of Germany’s history in one riveting afternoon, followed by The Shortest History of China A country both admired and feared, Germany has been the epicenter of world events time and again: the Reformation, both World Wars, the fall of the Berlin Wall. It did not emerge as a modern nation until 1871—yet today, Germany is the world’s fourth-largest economy and a standard-bearer of liberal democracy. “There’s no point studying the past unless it sheds some light on the present,” writes James Hawes in this brilliantly concise history that has already captivated hundreds of thousands of readers. “It is time, now more than ever, for us all to understand the real history of Germany.”
Download or read book Redrawing Nations written by Philipp Ther and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After World War II, some 12 million Germans, 3 million Poles and Ukrainians, and tens of thousands of Hungarians were expelled from their homes and forced to migrate to their supposed countries of origin. Using freshly available materials from Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Czechoslovak, German, British, and American archives, the contributors to this book provide a sweeping, detailed account of the turmoil caused by the huge wave of forced migration during the nascent Cold War. The book also documents the deep and lasting political, social, and economic consequences of this traumatic time, raising difficult questions about the effect of forced migration on postwar reconstruction, the rise of Communism, and the growing tensions between Western Europe and the Eastern bloc. Those interested in European Cold-War history will find this book indispensable for understanding the profound--but hitherto little known--upheavals caused by the massive ethnic cleansing that took place from 1944 to 1948.
Download or read book Brief summary of the complete frame of the German Question 1945 1990 written by Johann Albert Wiechers and published by Difundia Ediciones. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the moment of the publication of this book 75 years have passed since the defeat and beginning of the occupation of Germany by the victorious Allies, and 30 years since the reunification of the country, within restricted boundaries, after 45 years of division. I was born in the New World 20 years after the end of the war, lived most of my youth with the reality of the division, and witnessed the whole reunification process, as a member of a family of German descent living outside Germany. My interest in the subject, plus several logical links to Germany, a vision "from abroad" and obviously my knowledge of German, helped me to start preparing in 1987, well before any possibility of reunification existed, a legal thesis which, unexpectedly, even for me, turned into reality with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification in 1990. I was able to deliver the final work, my professional thesis, personally into the hands of Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker during his state visit to Mexico in 1992. And shortly thereafter I received from him a very rewarding letter. But just now, after 30 years, I am able to publish in English this reworked and updated version of my original thesis, now as a history book. I have tried to condense and explain the facts of 45 years of division so Germans and foreigners can have a full and objective view of all the aspects -historical, political, territorial and legal alike- pertaining to the so-called "German Question" during the period 1945-1990. I hope you enjoy it
Download or read book Soviet Nationalities in German Wartime Strategy 1941 1945 written by Alex Alexiev and published by RAND Corporation. This book was released on 1982 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the determinants and character of German policies toward the Soviet non-Russian nationalities and their effects on the Soviet and German war efforts and on the nationalities themselves. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of the nature and magnitude of military collaboration with the Germans by the non-Russian nationalities, in an attempt to examine the military exploitability of the political warfare opportunities that presented themselves. Section II outlines the attitudes toward the Soviet nationalities prevalent among the Nazi leadership and the role envisaged for them in a postwar German-dominated Europe, and juxtaposes them on the views of German officials who did not share Nazi dogma and advocated a more pragmatic approach. German policies in the occupied non-Russian territories and their implications are examined in Sec. III. Section IV describes the different types and degrees of military collaboration with the Germans. The main conclusions are summarized in Sec. V.
Download or read book The Collapse written by Mary Sarotte and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the night of November 9, 1989, massive crowds surged toward the Berlin Wall, drawn by an announcement that caught the world by surprise: East Germans could now move freely to the West. The Wall—infamous symbol of divided Cold War Europe—seemed to be falling. But the opening of the gates that night was not planned by the East German ruling regime—nor was it the result of a bargain between either Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It was an accident. In The Collapse, prize-winning historian Mary Elise Sarotte reveals how a perfect storm of decisions made by daring underground revolutionaries, disgruntled Stasi officers, and dictatorial party bosses sparked an unexpected series of events culminating in the chaotic fall of the Wall. With a novelist’s eye for character and detail, she brings to vivid life a story that sweeps across Budapest, Prague, Dresden, and Leipzig and up to the armed checkpoints in Berlin. We meet the revolutionaries Roland Jahn, Aram Radomski, and Siggi Schefke, risking it all to smuggle the truth across the Iron Curtain; the hapless Politburo member Günter Schabowski, mistakenly suggesting that the Wall is open to a press conference full of foreign journalists, including NBC’s Tom Brokaw; and Stasi officer Harald Jäger, holding the fort at the crucial border crossing that night. Soon, Brokaw starts broadcasting live from Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, where the crowds are exulting in the euphoria of newfound freedom—and the dictators are plotting to restore control. Drawing on new archival sources and dozens of interviews, The Collapse offers the definitive account of the night that brought down the Berlin Wall.
Download or read book Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe written by Tobias Grill and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2018-09-24 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many centuries Jews and Germans were economically and culturally of significant importance in East-Central and Eastern Europe. Since both groups had a very similar background of origin (Central Europe) and spoke languages which are related to each other (German/Yiddish), the question arises to what extent Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe share common historical developments and experiences. This volume aims to explore not only entanglements and interdependences of Jews and Germans in Eastern Europe from the late middle ages to the 20th century, but also comparative aspects of these two communities. Moreover, the perception of Jews as Germans in this region is also discussed in detail.
Download or read book Borders and Border Regions in Europe written by Arnaud Lechevalier and published by transcript Verlag. This book was released on 2014-04-30 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focussing European borders: The book provides insight into a variety of changes in the nature of borders in Europe and its neighborhood from various disciplinary perspectives. Special attention is paid to the history and contemporary dynamics at Polish and German borders. Of particular interest are the creation of Euroregions, mutual perceptions of Poles and Germans at the border, EU Regional Policy, media debates on the extension of the Schengen area. Analysis of cross-border mobility between Abkhazia and Georgia or the impact of Israel's »Security Fence« to Palestine on society complement the focus on Europe with a wider view.
Download or read book Occupied Economies written by Hein A.M. Klemann and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-09 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What were the consequences of the German occupation for the economy of occupied Europe? After Germany conquered major parts of the European continent, it was faced with a choice between plundering the suppressed countries and using their economies to supply its needs. The choices made not only differed from country to country, but also changed over the course of the war. Individual leaders; the economic needs of the Reich; the military situation; struggles between governors of occupied countries and Berlin officials; and finally racism, all had an impact on the outcome. In some countries the emphasis was placed on production for German warfare, which kept these economies functioning. New research, presented for the first time in this book, shows that as a consequence the economic setback in these areas was limited, and therefore post-war recovery was relatively easy. However, in other countries, plundering was more characteristic, resulting in partisan activity, a collapse of normal society and a dramatic destruction not only of the economy but in some countries of a substantial proportion of the labour force. In these countries, post-war recovery was almost impossible.
Download or read book The Soviet System In Crisis written by Alexander Dallin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-07-18 with total page 660 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This reader is intended to fill the urgent need for up-to-date materials on the Gorbachev era and to provide scholars and students with source materials and interpretations not available in standard texts. In addition, the book will be regularly revised and updated to take account of rapidly changing events. Alexander Dallin and Gail Lapidus have brought together outstanding Western analyses, as well as Soviet documents and commentary, dealing with developments in the USSR's politics, economy, society, culture, and foreign policy since 1985. The collection covers the full spectrum of views—skeptical and enthusiastic, ideological and pragmatic—offered by journalists, politicians, observers, and participants. Introductory and concluding material by the editors provides the essential context to help students understand the myriad opinions put forth on the vast changes in the USSR and where its future may lie.
Download or read book The German Democratic Republic written by Peter Grieder and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-11-02 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clear, concise and thought-provoking introduction to the history of East Germany which engages critically with key debates and advances new interpretations of the origins, development and demise of the GDR. Peter Grieder also offers an original conceptualization of the GDR as a totalitarian welfare state.
Download or read book The Lost German East written by Andrew Demshuk and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fifth of West Germany's post-1945 population consisted of ethnic German refugees expelled from Eastern Europe, a quarter of whom came from Silesia. As the richest territory lost inside Germany's interwar borders, Silesia was a leading objective for territorial revisionists, many of whom were themselves expellees. The Lost German East examines how and why millions of Silesian expellees came to terms with the loss of their homeland. Applying theories of memory and nostalgia, as well as recent studies on ethnic cleansing, Andrew Demshuk shows how, over time, most expellees came to recognize that the idealized world they mourned no longer existed. Revising the traditional view that most of those expelled sought a restoration of prewar borders so they could return to the east, Demshuk offers a new answer to the question of why, after decades of violent upheaval, peace and stability took root in West Germany during the tense early years of the Cold War.
Download or read book Ideologies of Eastness in Central and Eastern Europe written by Tomasz Zarycki and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-21 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how the countries of Eastern Europe, which were formerly part of the Soviet bloc have, since the end of communist rule, developed a new ideology of their place in the world. Drawing on post-colonial theory and on identity discourses in the writings of local intelligentsia figures, the book shows how people in these countries no longer think of themselves as part of the "east", and how they have invented new stereotypes of the countries to the east of them, such as Ukraine and Belarus, to which they see themselves as superior. The book demonstrates how there are a whole range of ideologies of "eastness", how these have changed over time, and how such ideologies impact, in a practical way, relations with countries further east.
Download or read book Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine 1914 1954 written by George O. Liber and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1914 and 1954, the Ukrainian-speaking territories in East Central Europe suffered almost 15 million "excess deaths" as well as numerous large-scale evacuations and forced population transfers. These losses were the devastating consequences of the two world wars, revolutions, famines, genocidal campaigns, and purges that wracked Europe in the first half of the twentieth century and spread new ideas, created new political and economic systems, and crafted new identities. In Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine, 1914-1954, George O. Liber argues that the continuous violence of the world wars and interwar years transformed the Ukrainian-speaking population of East Central Europe into self-conscious Ukrainians. Wars, mass killings, and forced modernization drives made and re-made Ukraine's boundaries, institutionalized its national identities, and pruned its population according to various state-sponsored political, racial, and social ideologies. In short, the two world wars, the Holodomor, and the Holocaust played critical roles in forming today's Ukraine. A landmark study of the terrifying scope and paradoxical consequences of mass violence in Europe's bloodlands, Liber's book will transform our understanding of the entangled histories of Ukraine, the USSR, Germany, and East Central Europe in the twentieth century.
Download or read book Germany Poland and Europe written by Marcin Zaborowski and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Zaborowski's study is a vivid and authoritative account of Polish-German relations, convincingly analysed using 'Europeanisation' as a conceptual prism. The book evaluates the relationship from both a historical and contemporary perspective, assessing its broader European significance. Zaborowski puts particular emphasis upon EU enlargement, which he sees as a centrepiece of the post-1989 rapprochement between the two states.
Download or read book Immigration and German Identity in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1945 to 2006 written by Duncan Cooper and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on 2012 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the end of World War II, millions of people from different parts of the world have migrated to the Federal Republic of Germany - and its immediate predecessors, the Western zones of occupation. This dissertation investigates the German population's changing views on immigrants and on issues related to immigration between 1945 and 2006. As people from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have migrated to the country in the period under consideration, the population's views provide tantalizing insights into changing perceptions of German identity. Dissertation. (Series: Studien zu Migration und Minderheiten/Studies in Migration and Minorities - Vol. 22)
