• May 1945: → Germany divided into 4 zones (USSR, USA, Britain, France); Berlin into 4 sectors.
• Aug 1948: USA, Britain & France combined zones into ‘Trizonia’ → became Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) May 1949.
• Soviet Zone remained separate → German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Oct 1949 (start of Cold War).
West Germany
1. Public Space
• All Nazi symbols banned (eg swastika), advocating Nazi ideas punishable by death.
2. War Crimes Trials
• Trials (Nov 1945–Oct 1946): 19 senior Nazis (eg Göring, Hess, Speer) tried; 12 executed, 3 given life sentences.
3. Purge of Nazi Party members
• US Zone:
◦ Zealous start – all 18+ made to fill in a (questionnaire) Law 104 categorized Germans: ‘Major offender’, ‘Offender’ … ‘Follower’, ‘Exonerated’ → 50,000 officials dismissed; 5,000 trials, 500 executions.
◦ IBM Data System overwhelmed: ½ million forms processed by Dec 1945 but 4 million backlogged.
• British Zone:
◦
Initially zealous (eg interrogation centre), but allowed nominal Nazis in key roles ∵ need for officials. Fragebogen used only for key jobs.
• French Zone:
◦ Nazi membership largely ignored. ¾ of teachers fired but rehired due to shortages.
• By 1946, chaos, Cold War & hate for Fragebogen → Western Allies handed denazification to 545 German-run tribunals → process less strict (eg Fragebogen replaced by Meldebogen/ certificates easily acquired/ fake certificates on the black market).
• Process abandoned 1951 after amnesty. US took 785 German scientists (incl. SS members) for space/intelligence (‘Operation ’).
4. Re-education & Propaganda
• Collective guilt policy: Germans forced to view concentration camps, Nazi atrocity images publicised (‘Your Fault’).
• US controlled German media; banned 30,000 books w. punishment for possession.
• Lenient denazification of artists (eg Riefenstahl a ‘fellow traveller’); anti-Nazi artists supported (eg Kubicek).
• 1952 survey: ⅓ Germans still anti-Semitic, ¼ held good opinion of Hitler.
5. Government
• Federal Republic formed (1949) w. Konrad Adenauer (Christian Democrat) as Chancellor (1949-53).
• Constitution (‘Basic Law’) based on Weimar Republic.
• Policies: western alliances, domestic stability (eg banning extremist parties such as Socialist Reich Party).
• Nazi atrocities blamed on (‘glitch’) by a small group of evildoers, w. everybody else simply obeying orders.
6. Failure
• Only 1.4% classified as ‘Major Offenders’/‘Offenders’.
• John Herz (1948) labelled denazification “a fiasco” which only temporarily barred Nazis from influence.
• 1965: Albert Norden found 1,800 ex-Nazis in top West German roles (eg 15 Ministers, 100 generals).
• Nevertheless: 400k interned, 1945-50; 90k detained in early 1947; 2 million Nazis restricted to manual labour.
East Germany
Principles
• Destroy Nazism.
• Establish Communism.
1. Public Space
• All Nazi symbols (flags, insignia, posters) removed; display = illegal.
2. Purge of Nazi Party Members
• 122k Nazi officials removed from govt/admin/industry by Soviet NKVD, imprisoned in camps (80k died).
• screened ⅓–½m ppl, convicted ex-Nazis were banned from office/imprisoned; process ended 1948.
• GDR criticized Western denazification but also retained useful ex-Nazis.
3. War Crimes Trials
• (1945–46): industrialists prosecuted for using forced labour.
4. Re-education & Propaganda
• Censorship: Children’s literature censored; schools/universities emphasized socialism.
• Propaganda: USSR portrayed as liberator; media/youth groups promoted socialism.
• 1948: ‘Year of the Returnee’ & 1949:
(‘homecomer’) conferences + helped by Volkssolidaritat (‘People's Solidarity’) welfare organisation → focused on rehabilitating POWs to prevent anti-Soviet sentiment.
5. Government
• Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands – SED) established (leader: Walter Ulbricht).
• USSR ensured elections secured SED control → began ‘Sovietisation’ of E Germany.
Dismemberment
• May 1945: BERLIN DECLARATION → Germany divided into 4 zones (USSR, USA, Britain, France); Berlin into 4 sectors.
• Aug 1948: USA, Britain & France combined zones into ‘Trizonia’ → became Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) May 1949.
• Soviet Zone remained separate → German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Oct 1949 (start of Cold War).
West Germany
1. Public Space
• All Nazi symbols banned (eg swastika), advocating Nazi ideas punishable by death.
2. War Crimes Trials
• NUREMBERG Trials (Nov 1945–Oct 1946): 19 senior Nazis (eg Göring, Hess, Speer) tried; 12 executed, 3 given life sentences.
3. Purge of Nazi Party members
• US Zone:
◦ Zealous start – all 18+ made to fill in a FRAGEBOGEN (questionnaire) Law 104 categorized Germans: ‘Major offender’, ‘Offender’ … ‘Follower’, ‘Exonerated’ → 50,000 officials dismissed; 5,000 trials, 500 executions.
◦ IBM Data System overwhelmed: ½ million forms processed by Dec 1945 but 4 million backlogged.
• British Zone:
◦ Initially zealous (eg BAD NENNDORF interrogation centre), but allowed nominal Nazis in key roles ∵ need for officials. Fragebogen used only for key jobs.
• French Zone:
◦ Nazi membership largely ignored. ¾ of teachers fired but rehired due to shortages.
• By 1946, chaos, Cold War & hate for Fragebogen → Western Allies handed denazification to 545 German-run SPRUCHKAMMER tribunals → process less strict (eg Fragebogen replaced by Meldebogen/ PERSILSCHEINE certificates easily acquired/ fake certificates on the black market).
• Process abandoned 1951 after amnesty. US took 785 German scientists (incl. SS members) for space/intelligence (‘Operation PAPERCLIP’).
4. Re-education & Propaganda
• Collective guilt policy: Germans forced to view concentration camps, Nazi atrocity images publicised (‘Your Fault’).
• US controlled German media; banned 30,000 books w. punishment for possession.
• Lenient denazification of artists (eg Riefenstahl a ‘fellow traveller’); anti-Nazi artists supported (eg Kubicek).
• 1952 survey: ⅓ Germans still anti-Semitic, ¼ held good opinion of Hitler.
5. Government
• Federal Republic formed (1949) w. Konrad Adenauer (Christian Democrat) as Chancellor (1949-53).
• Constitution (‘Basic Law’) based on Weimar Republic.
• Policies: western alliances, domestic stability (eg banning extremist parties such as Socialist Reich Party).
• Nazi atrocities blamed on BETRIEBSUNFALL (‘glitch’) by a small group of evildoers, w. everybody else simply obeying orders.
6. Failure
• Only 1.4% classified as ‘Major Offenders’/‘Offenders’.
• John Herz (1948) labelled denazification “a fiasco” which only temporarily barred Nazis from influence.
• 1965: Albert Norden found 1,800 ex-Nazis in top West German roles (eg 15 Ministers, 100 generals).
• Nevertheless: 400k interned, 1945-50; 90k detained in early 1947; 2 million Nazis restricted to manual labour.
East Germany
Principles
• Destroy Nazism.
• Establish Communism.
1. Public Space
• All Nazi symbols (flags, insignia, posters) removed; display = illegal.
2. Purge of Nazi Party Members
• 122k Nazi officials removed from govt/admin/industry by Soviet NKVD, imprisoned in camps (80k died).
• TRIBUNALS screened ⅓–½m ppl, convicted ex-Nazis were banned from office/imprisoned; process ended 1948.
• GDR criticized Western denazification but also retained useful ex-Nazis.
3. War Crimes Trials
• LEIPZIG TRIALS (1945–46): industrialists prosecuted for using forced labour.
4. Re-education & Propaganda
• Censorship: Children’s literature censored; schools/universities emphasized socialism.
• Propaganda: USSR portrayed as liberator; media/youth groups promoted socialism.
• 1948: ‘Year of the Returnee’ & 1949:
HEIMKEHRER (‘homecomer’) conferences + helped by Volkssolidaritat (‘People's Solidarity’) welfare organisation → focused on rehabilitating POWs to prevent anti-Soviet sentiment.
5. Government
• SOCIALIST UNITY Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands – SED) established (leader: Walter Ulbricht).
• USSR ensured elections secured SED control → began ‘Sovietisation’ of E Germany.
