Armin Grünbacher - Böcker

At the end of the Second World War Germany was devastated; her cities lay in ruins, industrial output was minimal, the economy was in tatters and her territories divided into four zones, each governed by one of the main Allied powers. Yet the rapid onset of the Cold War ensured that the western powers needed to re-establish a strong West German state to act as a bulwark against Soviet influence. In this study the critical role of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in this process is closely examined. Established by the Anglo-American occupying powers in 1948, the main remit of the KfW was to provide investment for German industry, to help kick-start the economy. Its particular function was to provide loans to key industries that the commercial banks considered too risky or which offered unacceptably low returns. Yet as this study makes clear, its work was from the outset highly politicized, and its role in German reconstruction went much further than simply providing funds for capital investment. Bankrolled mainly by American Marshall Plan counterpart funds, the KfW was viewed in Washington as an essential tool in the wider Western response to the challenges of Soviet communism. As is shown throughout the book, this dual role inevitably caused some difficulties, as national interests could be overridden in favour of Cold War considerations. As Germany's post-war economy revived, this led to further tensions between an increasingly prosperous and self-confident West Germany and the continued interference of the Allied powers, particularly the USA, who had their own Cold War agenda. Utilizing archives in Germany, Britain and the United States, Dr Grünbacher has provided a clear synthesis of this multi-faceted and complex subject. By approaching the economic development of Federal Germany through the locus of the KfW, he offers a fascinating insight into the interactions of economics, politics and ideology that will be welcomed by all scholars with an inte

This is the first English language source reader that deals with post-war (West) Germany. The sources, which include official Allied and German documents, parliamentary debates, contemporary newspapers articles, diaries and a large number of previously unpublished archival materials, allow for the first time a source-based study of post-war Germany for non-German speakers.The sources allow an assessment of the changes of Allied policy in the immediate post-war years which led to the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany; explain the country’s role in the intensifying Cold War; and encourage a re-evaluation of the ‘economic miracle’ and whether the Federal Republic signified a ‘new start’ for Germany or a ‘restoration’ of the old social forces and patterns. The book will be of great benefit to students of German post-war history at all levels. It offers a unique opportunity for teachers and lecturers to go well beyond the traditional sources explaining German History and the Cold War.

This is the first English language source reader that deals with post-war (West) Germany. The sources, which include official Allied and German documents, parliamentary debates, contemporary newspapers articles, diaries and a large number of previously unpublished archival materials, allow for the first time a source-based study of post-war Germany for non-German speakers.The sources allow an assessment of the changes of Allied policy in the immediate post-war years which led to the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany; explain the country’s role in the intensifying Cold War; and encourage a re-evaluation of the ‘economic miracle’ and whether the Federal Republic signified a ‘new start’ for Germany or a ‘restoration’ of the old social forces and patterns. The book will be of great benefit to students of German post-war history at all levels. It offers a unique opportunity for teachers and lecturers to go well beyond the traditional sources explaining German History and the Cold War.

At the end of the Second World War Germany was devastated; her cities lay in ruins, industrial output was minimal, the economy was in tatters and her territories divided into four zones, each governed by one of the main Allied powers. Yet the rapid onset of the Cold War ensured that the western powers needed to re-establish a strong West German state to act as a bulwark against Soviet influence. In this study the critical role of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in this process is closely examined. Established by the Anglo-American occupying powers in 1948, the main remit of the KfW was to provide investment for German industry, to help kick-start the economy. Its particular function was to provide loans to key industries that the commercial banks considered too risky or which offered unacceptably low returns. Yet as this study makes clear, its work was from the outset highly politicized, and its role in German reconstruction went much further than simply providing funds for capital investment. Bankrolled mainly by American Marshall Plan counterpart funds, the KfW was viewed in Washington as an essential tool in the wider Western response to the challenges of Soviet communism. As is shown throughout the book, this dual role inevitably caused some difficulties, as national interests could be overridden in favour of Cold War considerations. As Germany's post-war economy revived, this led to further tensions between an increasingly prosperous and self-confident West Germany and the continued interference of the Allied powers, particularly the USA, who had their own Cold War agenda. Utilizing archives in Germany, Britain and the United States, Dr Grünbacher has provided a clear synthesis of this multi-faceted and complex subject. By approaching the economic development of Federal Germany through the locus of the KfW, he offers a fascinating insight into the interactions of economics, politics and ideology that will be welcomed by all scholars with an inte

West German Industrialists and the Making of the Economic Miracle investigates the mentality of post-war German (heavy) industrialists through an analysis of their attitudes, thinking and views on social, political and, of course, economic matters at the time, including the 'social market economy' and how they saw their own role in society, with this investigation taking place against the backdrop of the 'economic miracle' and the Cold War of the 1950s and 60s. The book also includes an assessment of whether the self-declared, new 'aristocracy of merit' justified its place in society and carried out its actions in a new spirit of political responsibility. This is an important text for all students interested in the history of Germany and the modern economic history of Europe.