Out of Hitler's shadow : debt, guilt, and the German economic miracle / Tobias Straumann.
| Author/creator | Straumann, Tobias author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Oxford, UK ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press , 2025. |
| Copyright Date | ©2025 |
| Description | xxi, 256 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Pt. I. The plan -- Hitler's debt -- A French surprise -- Breakthrough at the Waldorf -- Pt. II. A difficult start -- Stubborn Germans -- Saving Germany from bankruptcy -- Pt. III. Collusion -- A secret meeting in Paris -- Finding the right words -- Pt. IV. Collision -- The soul of Israel -- 'Adding insult to injury' -- Pt. V. The grand bargain -- 'What do we do now?' -- German reparations to Israel -- The settlement of Hitler's debt. |
| Abstract | "Why were the United States and its Western Allies so lenient after the most atrocious war of all times? Out of Hitler's Shadow answers this question, and considers why the Allies concluded that imposing unrealistic financial conditions on a defeated country would do more harm than good. The destruction left by Nazi Germany was horrendous. The occupied countries had been ravaged and plundered, millionsof people murdered, cities laid in ashes. There was every reason tomake the defeated Germans pay for 'Hitler's debt' as The New York Times called the gigantic damage inflicted. But whereas the Soviet Union punished East Germany, the Western Allies, at the London Debt Conference (1952) decided to forgo all war-related debts. The Federal Republic of Germany -- the Western successor state of Nazi Germany -- had to settle no more than half of all outstanding debts stemming from pre-war obligations and post-war assistance. Only Israel and private Jewish organisations received reparations from the Federal Republic, but it was a modest amount. Why were the United States and its Western Allies so lenient after the most atrocious war of all times? Out of Hitler's Shadow answers this question, and considers why the Allies concluded that imposing unrealistic financial conditions on a defeated country would do more harm than good. These actions challenged widely held notions of justice. People who had suffered mostfrom the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany were not compensated.The deal was unfair in many ways, but diplomats and politicians hadto make hard choices. Five statesmen were particularly bold : U.S. Secretary of State Acheson, German Chancellor Adenauer, French Foreign Minister Schuman as well as Israeli Prime Minister Ben-Gurion andForeign Minister Sharett. Tobias Straumann explains why the personalities involved deserve to be remembered for their strategic clarityin the face of enormous resistance."-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Issued in other form | Electronic version: Straumann, Tobias. Out of Hitler's shadow. Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025] 9780191944635 |
| ISBN | 9780192849519 |
| ISBN | 0192849514 (hardcover) |