At the end of World War II roughly 300,000 American GIs were
deployed as occupation forces in Germany. Many of them quickly
developed intimate relations with their former enemies. Those
informal interactions played a significant role in the
transformation of Germany from enemy to ally of the United States,
argues Petra Goedde in her engrossing book. Goedde finds that as
American soldiers fraternized with German civilians, particularly
as they formed sexual relationships with women, they developed a
feminized image of Germany that contrasted sharply with their
wartime image of the aggressive Nazi stormtrooper. A perception of
German "victimhood" emerged that was fostered by the German
population and adopted by Americans. According to Goedde, this new
view of Germany provided a foundation for the political
rapprochement that developed between the two countries even before
the advent of the Cold War. Her provocative findings suggest that
the study of foreign relations should focus on interactions not
only between politicians and diplomats but also between ordinary
citizens.
General
Imprint: |
Yale University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2002 |
First published: |
May 2014 |
Authors: |
Petra Goedde
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
306 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-300-21133-7 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-300-21133-3 |
Barcode: |
9780300211337 |
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