The decade 1945-1955 is indisputably one of the most important in modern German (as well as European) history. What is less clear, however, given what we now know about Germany in the wake of its reunification, is the degree to which the United States and the other Allied victors shaped the institutions, policies, and culture of the Federal Republic of Germany in this crucial period. To what extent were, "Americanization," "modernization," and "normalization "congruent?
This work focuses on the role of the United States and of Americans, in both official and unofficial capacities, in shaping the political culture and early foundations of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1945-1955. It draws together the work of well-known scholars, both German and American, along with the reflective accounts of actual participants in and witnesses to this period.