Ludwig Erhard

The consequences of Germany's twelve-year Nazi regime continue to reverberate and to spark debate among scholars and the general public. In this volume leading scholars present provocative essays probing the nature, history, and aftermath of the Nazi regime, including its connections to the Federal Republic of Germany after the war. The essays address the nature of Nazism as reflected in contemporary perceptions of Nazi Germany in the United States; the origins and character of fascism; the many forms of antisemitism; German scholars' efforts to promote persecution in the Third Reich; the role of ethnic Germans in the anti-Jewish and anti-Slavic policies of the Reich; the actions of German police in the occupation of eastern Europe and in the Holocaust; Hitler's style of leadership; the nazification of the German military high command; and the politics surrounding the memory of Nazism and the Holocaust after 1945.

The Impact of Nazism employs diverse approaches, exploits a variety of new and long-available sources, and asks new questions, making clear the profound connections between the Nazis and the world that survived them.

Using newly available material from both sides of the Iron Curtain, William Glenn Gray explores West Germany's efforts to prevent international acceptance of East Germany as a legitimate state following World War II. Unwilling to accept the division of their country, West German leaders regarded the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as an illegitimate upstart--a puppet of the occupying Soviet forces. Together with France, Britain, and the United States, West Germany applied political and financial pressure around the globe to ensure that the GDR remain unrecognized by all countries outside the communist camp. Proclamations of ideological solidarity and narrowly targeted bursts of aid gave the GDR momentary leverage in such diverse countries as Egypt, Iraq, Ghana, and Indonesia; yet West Germany's intimidation tactics, coupled with its vastly superior economic resources, blocked any decisive East German breakthrough. Gray argues that Bonn's isolation campaign was dropped not for want of success, but as a result of changes in West German priorities as the struggle against East Germany came to hamper efforts at reconciliation with Israel, Poland, and Yugoslavia--all countries of special relevance to Germany's recent past. Interest in a morally grounded diplomacy, together with the growing conviction that the GDR could no longer be ignored, led to the abandonment of Bonn's effective but outdated efforts to hinder worldwide recognition of the East German regime.

In this stimulating book, a leading expert on German affairs provides an overview of German political development since 1945. The key to the well-being and prosperity of Europe after 1945 was the creation of a stable and democratic West Germany. Unification in 1990 not only transformed Germany's role in Europe and the world but brought new political, social and economic problems caused by the vast expense of unity and high labour costs. The author argues that these great changes provide a new and daunting challenge to the Bonn system by calling into question the Berlin Republic's ability to meet the needs of the German nation.The difficulties resulting from Germany's commitment to European integration are also addressed. Within Europe, German insistence on deeper integration is often seen as evidence of a German wish to dominate Europe, even though the stated aim of Kohl's government is to prevent this from happening. The author believes that Germany's new power is clearly visible, and must be carefully managed if future conflict is to be avoided.

This book provides detailed independent analyses of the successes and limitations of one of the most successful economic relationships in recent history: the Deutsche Mark and the Deutsche Bundesbank. With European economic and monetary union approaching, the lessons to be learnt from the German experience are now more important than ever. The Deutsche Mark has been one of the most stable currencies in the world for decades. The combination of a sound monetary structure and an anti-inflationary monetary policy have been the bedrock for unprecedented German economic success. This success, however, has not been unlimited or without risk. Fifty Years of the Deutsche Mark will give future European montary policy-makers the invaluable benefit of the German experience. The book combines chronological articles with others which follow the developments of a specific issue over the entire 50-year period. Issues covered include the central bank constitution, the central bank's relationship with fiscal policy-makers and with other banks, the role of the Bundesbank in European monetary integration, and the international significance of the Deutsche Mark. Individual accounts of the key monetary policy events in 1948 and 1990 as well as general articles on the `message' of German monetary policy and on academic deabte over German monetary policy round the book off. Sixteen eminent independent scholars were asked by the Bundesbank to contribute to this volume, and given full access to the Bank's records. The resulting articles provide comprehensive analysis of the successes and limitations of Europe's most powerful central bank. On June 20th, 1998, the Deutsche Mark will be 50 years old: this book will ensure that its legacy lives on.

With the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the unification of 1990 a new German state emerged - the fifth constitutional upheaval and the fourth change of frontiers in this century. This book aims to introduce the reader to the legacy that present-day Germany has inherited from both East and West and from the period before 1945. It looks at the way political life has evolved since the Second World War, tracing the way the political parties, the institutions of government, and social forces have shaped the Germany that we know - and frequently misunderstand - today.