The Allies and the German Problem, 1941-1949: From Cooperation to Alternative Settlement

The Allies and the German Problem, 1941-1949 examines Allied policymaking during the Second World War and the military occupation of postwar Germany. Charting the planning for the postwar occupation of Germany and later the failure of the peace process during the early years of the Cold War, it demonstrates how the initial unity of the Allies disintegrated during the postwar military occupation in the face of their separate goals for postwar Germany and Europe. After two years of 'diplomatic trench warfare' between representatives of the U.S., the U.K., France, and the U.S.S.R., the Western Allies devised a provisional plan to establish a postwar peace settlement. This was considered to be a pragmatic solution during the climate of the emerging Cold War, when the division of postwar Europe became increasingly apparent. Decision making that was made in reaction to contemporary events resulted in the establishment of two separate German states.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The Deliberations Begin, 1941-1944 2. The Stage is Set: The Conferences of Yalta and Potsdam 3. Cooperation and Conflict, 1945-1946 4. From Cooperation to Impasse, 1947 5. From Impasse to Alternative Settlement, 1948-1949 Conclusion

About the Author :
Andrew Szanajda is Associate Professor at the Overseas Chinese University, Taiwan, and has been a recipient of the National Science Council research grant. He is the author of The Restoration of Justice in Postwar Hesse, 1945-1949, Making Sense in History: Historical Writing in Practice, and Indirect Perpetrators: The Prosecution of Informers in Germany, 1945-1965.

Review :
"Andrew Szanajda has made an important contribution to the history of the Cold War, reexamining the split between the occupying powers in Germany after World War Two. Szanajda further shows how the political system established in the west in 1949 eventually facilitated the peace and reunification of Europe in 1990." - Jeffrey S. Gaab, Farmingdale State College, SUNY, USA