Peter C. Caldwell and Karrin Hanshew's Germany Since 1945 traces the social, political and cultural history of Germany from the end of the Second World War right up to the present day. The book provides a narrative that not only explores the histories of East and West Germany in their international contexts, but one that also takes the significantly different world of the Berlin Republic seriously, analyzing it as a distinct and significant period of German history in its own right.
Split into three parts roughly devoted to a quarter-century each, this book guides students through contemporary Germany from the catastrophe of war, genocide and the country's division to the very different challenges facing the reunified Germany of the 21st century. There are key primary source excerpts integrated throughout the text, as well as 32 images, numerous maps, charts and tables and a detailed bibliography to further aid study. The book is complemented by a regularly updated companion website which includes an Instructor's Guide and detailed, chapter-by-chapter bibliographies and web link lists.
Germany Since 1945 underscores both the particularities of German history and the international trends and transactions that shaped it, giving good coverage to key aspects of post-1945 German society and politics, including:
- East and West German paths to reconstruction
- The development of consumer society and the welfare state
- The politics of memory and coming to terms with the Nazi past
- The Cold War
- New social and political movements that opposed the postwar status
- Immigration and the move toward a multicultural society
This is an essential text for any student of contemporary German history.
About the Authors
Peter C. Caldwell is Samuel G. McCann Professor of History at Rice University, USA. Professor Caldwell is a Humboldt Fellow, and has received grants from the DAAD and the Humboldt Foundation, as well as a residential fellowship at the Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University, USA. He is the author of Popular Sovereignty and the Crisis of German
Constitutional Law: The Theory and Practice of Weimar Constitutionalism (1997), Dictatorship, State Planning, and Social Theory in the German Democratic Republic (2003) and
Love, Death, and Revolution in Central Europe (2009).
Karrin Hanshew is Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, USA. She is the author of
Terror and Democracy in West Germany (2012).
Industry Reviews
In sum, this textbook can only be highly recommended. * H-German *
One of the best recent general introductions to post-WW II German history, this volume examines the political, economic, cultural, and social history of a separated Germany ... Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates; graduate students. * CHOICE *
Caldwell and Hanshew have written the best general introduction to the history of Germany since 1945. Based on the most up to date sources, well organized and well written, this vibrant book provides a thorough and clearly argued overview of the major social, economic, political and cultural developments in contemporary German history. * William T. Smaldone, E. J. Whipple Professor of History, Willamette University, USA *
Simply superb! Caldwell and Hanshew combine an insightful and clear narrative of Germany's economic and political rise in Europe with captivating illustrative quotations, images and examples. An outstanding introduction to German history since World War II and an excellent refresher for specialists. * Jan Palmowski, Professor of Modern History, University of Warwick, UK *
Teaching the history of Germany since 1945 has hitherto been hampered by the lack of a single volume, up-to-date survey. Peter C. Caldwell and Karrin Hanshew have not only filled this gap, but squared a circle - with a thematically and conceptually wide-reaching yet brief and accessible book. * Moritz Foellmer, Associate Professor of Modern History, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands *
