Transforming Occupation in the Western Zones of Germany ― Politics, Everyday Life and Social Interactions 1945-55

Transforming Occupation in the Western Zones of Germany provides an in-depth transnational study of power politics, daily life, and social interactions in the Western Zones of occupied Germany during the aftermath of the Second World War.

Combining a history from below with a top-down perspective, the volume explores the origins, impacts, and legacies of the occupations of the western zones of Germany by the United States, Britain and France, examining complex yet topical issues that often arise as a consequence of war including regime change, transitional justice, everyday life under occupation, the role of intermediaries, and the multifaceted relationship between occupiers and occupied. Adopting a novel set of approaches that puts questions of power, social relations, gender, race, and the environment centre stage, it moves beyond existing narratives to place the occupation within a broader framework of continuity and change in post-war western Europe.

Incorporating essays from 16 international scholars, this volume provides a substantial contribution to the emerging fields of occupation studies and the comparative history of post-war Europe.

Camilo Erlichman is Assistant Professor at Leiden University, The Netherlands.

Christopher Knowles is Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London, UK, Archives By-fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge, UK, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.