Set within a chronological framework, this stimulating new study explores the history of Germany from the end of the Second World War and the legacy of the Third Reich through to the present day. Drawing on recent research and newly available evidence of the post-Cold war era, Klaus Larres provides a comprehensive analysis of the most important domestic and external aspects of contemporary Germany since 1945, including the Occupation, the effects of the Cold War, and the excitements and complexities of reunification in 1989/90. Larres then looks beyond this landmark event to Germany's role within European integration, her developing relationship with the USA, the relocation of the seat of government to Berlin, and the domestic and foreign policies of the red-green coalition led by Gerhard Schroder and Joschka Fischer.
Table of Contents
Preface ; Introduction: The End of Hitler, the Victory of the Allied Powers, and the Establishment of two German States (1945-49) ; I. MAJOR THEMES IN GERMAN POST-WAR HISTORY ; 1. Western and Eastern Integration ; 2. Economic Miracle ; 3. Federalism and Party Politics ; 4. The Role of the Chancellor in the Federal Republic ; 5. European Integration and Transatlantic Relations ; 6. Ostpolitik and Intra-German Relations ; 7. Unification and the Role of the GDR in German history since 1945 ; 8. The Shape of the Berlin Republic and Germany's post-Cold War Role ; II. GERMANY DURING THE COLD WAR PERIOD ; 9. Re-integration: West Germany under Konrad Adenauer, 1949-1955 ; 10. Interdependence and Cold War Complexities: The Slow End of the Adenauer Era, 1955-1963 ; 11. The Search for Recognition: Walter Ulbricht's GDR, 1949-1963 ; 12. Ever increasing Difficulties: The End of the Economic Miracle and the Emancipation of the West Germans under Ludwig Erhard, 1963-66 ; 13. New Departures: West Germany's Grand Coalition, 1966-69 ; 14. Stability and Economic Recovery: Ulbricht's GDR, 1963-1971 ; III. THE ERA OF DETENTE AND CO-OPERATION ; 15. New Self-Confidence: Willy Brandt and the Era of Ostpolitik, 1969-1974 ; 16. Crisis Management: The Reign of Helmut Schmidt, 1974-82 ; 17. Respectability and Economic Downturn: Honecker's GDR, 1971-1989 ; 18. Economic Difficulties and New Patriotism: Helmut Kohl's First Years in Office, 1982-89 ; IV. GERMANY AND THE POST-COLD WAR WORLD ; 19. German Unification, 1989/90 ; 20. After Unification: Helmut Kohl's Germany, 1991-98 ; 21. From Bonn to Berlin: the Schroder Government ; Bibliography ; Index
Author Biography
Klaus Larres is lecturer in Politics at Queen's University, Belfast. His publications include Germany Since Unification (Palgrave, 2000) and The Cold War (Blackwell, 2001).
