From Craftsmen to Capitalists

Frederick L. McKitrick received his doctorate from Columbia University. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Anthropology at Monmouth University, New Jersey.

“…a well-researched, carefully argued, and convincing study of the modernization of German Handwerk during the Nazi and early postwar periods. It will be of interest to scholars examining the emergence of the German variety of capitalism, the modernizing or conservative intentions and effects of Nazism, or the bases of West German stability after 1945…It is a strength of this excellent study that while McKitrick focuses on the modernization of Handwerk, he also regularly acknowledges the variety of craft occupations and the persistent, sometimes not insubstantial resistance to Handwerk’s modernization.” • Journal of Modern History“…thought-provoking and important… this is an exceptionally engaging, well-researched and important book that links the pre-1945 to the post-war period effectively and convincingly.” • German History“Among historians, German Handwerker have typically been treated only in terms of their presumed Nazi sentiments or persistent economic backwardness. This extensively researched, well-written volume shows that these artisans were neither exclusively reactionary in their politics nor cynically sacrificed by the Nazis at the altar of the war economy.” • Jay Lockenour, Temple University“This is an impressive study that bears directly upon important scholarly debates. McKitrick’s sympathy for the plight of tradespeople in a rapidly changing society is palpable, and he rightly handles their history with a due consideration of its complexity, rather than treating them as reactionary caricatures.” • Perry Biddiscombe, University of Victoria

• List of Tables and FiguresAcknowledgementsPrefaceNote on the Handwerk TradesPART I: HANDWERK IN CRISIS, 1918-1933Chapter 1. From Zünfte to Nazism: German Handwerk to 1939PART II: HANDWERK AT WAR: 1939-1945Chapter 2. Handwerk in the War Economy, 1939-1941Chapter 3. The Speer Ministry: The Coordination of Industry and Handwerk, 1942-1945PART III: THE OCCUPATION PERIOD, 1945-1949: THE CONFRONTATION WITH THE AMERICAN FREE MARKETChapter 4. The Occupation    Chapter 5. The Legal Consolidation of Handwerk Corporatism in the British ZoneChapter 6. Developments in the U.S. Zone Leading Up to the Introduction of GewerbefreiheitChapter 7. The Role of Organization and Leadership in the Modernization of HandwerkPART IV: THE EARLY FEDERAL REPUBLIC, 1949-1953Chapter 8. The Effects of Gewerbefreiheit on HandwerkChapter 9. The Integration of Handwerk Organizations into the Political Fabric of the Federal RepublicChapter 10.  Changes in Structure and Outlook in HandwerkConclusion: Revolution in Handwerk?List of AbbreviationsSources and Bibliography