"In Conversation" Series

 

Lecturer: 

Prof. Ofer Ashkenazi

Title: 

The American “Exit Strategy” in Germany at the End of World War Two (and Whether It Succeeded)

Abstract: 

While the National Socialist party had never won the majority of German votes, by the late 1930s the Nazi regime seemed to have gained unmatched, wide popularity. The support of the regime was sustained throughout the war years, despite the unparalleled number of German casualties, both soldiers and civilians, and despite the devastating destruction of German cities by the Allies’ air raids. By the summer of 1945, in the aftermath of the war, some 13 million refugees were added to the homeless, unemployed, and starving Germans, and most of the country’s infrastructure was ruined. The winning Allies’ inability to agree on a coordinated policy in their respective zones of occupation made things even worse. Yet, ten years later, the Western Allies’ zone, known as The Federal Republic of (West) Germany, had emerged as a prominent democratic world power, with a particularly fast-growing economy, stable political system, and a remarkably liberal constitution. The talk will suggest an explanation for this transformation. It will explain what the Americans did in their occupied zone, why they acted in this way, and what we can learn from the German case about later attempts to “democratize” occupied territories.

Location: 

Eilan Hall, Feldman Building, Second Floor, Edmond Safra Campus.