Jurgen Tampke – författare

This book, first published in 1983, goes beyond the ‘black and white’ literature of many East–West observers to offer a more nuanced assessment of the achievements of the Eastern bloc countries of the early 1980s. It covers the emergence of ‘Eastern Europe’ from revolution and war, the politics and economics of the new countries and their relationships with the West.

This book, first published in 1979, analyses the German November Revolution of 1919 and the years and conditions that led to it. It examines the economic, social and political background of the Ruhr up to the coal miners’ strike of 1912; how the war aggravated social hardship and rifts in the workers’ party; and, in detail, the revolution itself.

This book, first published in 1979, analyses the German November Revolution of 1919 and the years and conditions that led to it. It examines the economic, social and political background of the Ruhr up to the coal miners’ strike of 1912; how the war aggravated social hardship and rifts in the workers’ party; and, in detail, the revolution itself.

Australia, Wilkommen (1990) documents the rich and varying contribution made by Germans in Australia. Originally welcomed as hardy pioneers, German settlers were responsible for discovering and opening up vast tracts of land. German scientists and entrepreneurs played a large role in the Australian economy. But as the German empire expanded into the Pacific, and Britain and Australia were drawn into two world wars, perceptions of Germany and its people changed and immigrants were caught in the crossfire between the old and new worlds. This book examines these issues surrounding German immigration into Australia, and the shifting perceptions of both the immigrants and the nation itself.

Australia, Wilkommen (1990) documents the rich and varying contribution made by Germans in Australia. Originally welcomed as hardy pioneers, German settlers were responsible for discovering and opening up vast tracts of land. German scientists and entrepreneurs played a large role in the Australian economy. But as the German empire expanded into the Pacific, and Britain and Australia were drawn into two world wars, perceptions of Germany and its people changed and immigrants were caught in the crossfire between the old and new worlds. This book examines these issues surrounding German immigration into Australia, and the shifting perceptions of both the immigrants and the nation itself.

Wunderbar Country (1982) examines the experiences of Australia’s second largest migrant community, the Germans. Many Germans saw Australia as a land of social equality and mobility, with unlimited resources and economic possibilities. This book analyses Australian social legislation and the labour movement, the subject of much debate in Germany. Articles present both sides to an argument, with some stating that Australia was indeed a workers’ paradise, the home of social progress; others point to miserable working conditions. It also deals with the experiences of immigrants from Germany to this new land: rural life in Bong Bong; a meeting with Ned Kelly; Adelaide in the 1850s; the wild gold town of Ballarat.

A controversial and important work of revisionist history that rebuts the accepted version of the role of the Versailles Peace Treaty in the rise of Nazism and the unleashing of World War II.

The Versailles Peace Treaty, the pact that ended World War I between the German empire and the Allies, has not enjoyed a positive reputation since its signing in June 1919. Conventional wisdom has it that the treaty''s requirements for massive reparation payments crippled the economy of the Weimar Republic and destabilised its political life. Ultimately, it is argued, the treaty prevented the seeds of democracy sown in the aftermath of the Great War from flourishing, and drove the German people into the arms of Adolph Hitler.

In this authoritative book, Jurgen Tampke disputes this commonplace view. He argues that Germany got away with its responsibility for World War I and its behaviour during it; that the treaty was nowhere near as punitive as has been long felt; that the German hyper-inflation of the 1920s was at least partly a deliberate policy to minimise the cost of paying reparations; and that World War II was a continuation of Germany''s longstanding war aims.