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The Russians in Germany: A History of the Soviet Zone of Occupation, 1945-1949 |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Germany History > Item 38
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The Russians in Germany: A History of the Soviet Zone of Occupation, 1945-1949
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by Norman M. Naimark
Sales Rank: 126625
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List Price: $28.00
$28.00
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on 9-12-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 608 pages
Published by: Belknap Press September 1, 1997
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0674784065
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0674784062
Book Dimensions:
9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
Weighs: 1.9 pounds
From Library Journal
Naimark, director of Stanford University's Center for Russian and East European Studies, has based his study of the creation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on extensive archival research in the files of both Western and Eastern bloc countries. Focusing on the 1945-49 period, he discusses, among many other topics, Soviet planning for the conquered territory of Germany, problems arising from rape and looting by occupying Soviet troops, and the role of German scientists in Soviet weapons programs. Naimark's work is an important study of nation-building in the Eastern bloc and will also be of interest to students of German politics, history, and reunification. However, any future opening of currently sealed Russian archives may cause a reassessment of parts of the story. Until that time, this is likely to be the standard text on the early years of the GDR. Recommended for political science and history collections.?Stanley Planton, Quinn Lib, Ohio Univ.
Chillicothe
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Review
[A] masterly analysis of the Soviet occupation between the end of the war and the emergence of two German states[A] startlingly original book.
--Daniel Johnson (New York Times Book Review )
The best study of the making of Communist East Germany, based on remarkable archival research and invaluable for anyone seeking to understand the psychological as well as the political origins of the German Democratic Republic.
--Tony Judt (New York Review of Books )
An outstanding analysis of the ruthless Stalinization of East Germany in the early postwar years, and of its economic and scientific exploitation. Using newly released East German and Soviet archives, [Naimark] gives us a complete picture of what has been called Stalin's "march to the west."
--Amos Perlmutter (Wall Street Journal )
[A] remarkable historical treatment[This] is a quite splendid work of erudition, style and humanity, which replaces all earlier writing in English on the subjectUsing primarily the German and the Russian sources, Naimark sets new levels of archival research and raises many issues for historians to debate in years to comeIt is unlikelythat his overall study of these few crucial years will be superseded for a good while to come. In particular, he has set the scene for a fuller understanding of the regime and society which followed the occupation.
--Jonathan Osmond (Times Higher Education Supplement )
What makes this book superior to anything that has been written about the Soviets in early postwar Germanyis its comprehensiveness. It contains important chapters on reparations and economic transformation, the use of German scientists, culture and education, and the construction of an Orwellian police state. Finally, there is a lengthy and daunting chapter on "Soviet Soldiers, German Women, and the Problem of Rape," For many years, this remained a taboo subject, and when Naimark began his research, it took some courage to venture into this fieldThis great study of the encounter between Russians and Germans after the defeat of Nazism contains a wealth of insights for all historians of postwar Europe.
--V. R. Berghahn (American Historical Review )
[Norman Naimark] has produced a richly textured and important story, delving into subjects usually ignored in the longer narratives of postwar eastern Germany, including the sensitive issue of Red Army rape during the period of conquest and early occupation, the seizure of scientific materials and talent, and the organization of popular culture. From my perspective, Naimark's perspective and conclusions are both sensitive and sensibleThis book represents one of the first important results of multiarchival work that draws on records so unattainable until recently but so critical to historical reconstruction. The Soviet archives will never finally resolve issues of historical intention and responsibility, any more than American archives, but they are the basis for informed inference and argumentation. Naimark uses them precisely in that scholarly spirit. The Russians in Germany will remain one of the exemplary contributions to the unfolding post-1989 historiography of Europe under communism.
--Charles S. Maier (Journal of Modern History )
Naimark's work is an important study of nation-building in the Eastern bloc and will also be of interest to students of German politics, history, and reunificationThis is likely to be the standard text on the early years of GDR. (Library Journal )
Naimark has produced a brilliant history of the first four years of what was to become the German Democratic RepublicHighly recommended. (Choice )
When the Berlin Wall blocking access to East German and USSR archives came tumbling down, historians had the grand opportunity to discover what had transpired in its ominous shadows. This study shows the wondrous potential for revolutionizing Cold War history.
--Edward N. Peterson (German Studies Review )
Reader Reviews
Norman M. Naimark, Robert and Florence McDonnell Professor of East European Studies at Stanford University, has written an admirable treatment of a rarely touched topic: the Soviet occupation of Germany from 1945 to the creation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1949. Naimark draws from a wealth of freshly released Russian archival material, and newly tapped GDR sources. The result is a thematically arranged work that argues the Soviet regime failed in its governing policies in the occupational zone of Germany as well as, failing to win the hearts and minds of the East German people. Naimark combines a smooth blend of social and political history along with an engaging narrative to develop his argument. Chapter One chronicles the fledgling attempts of the Russians to administer the newly "liberated" territories. He describes the role the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG) played in administrating the region, and providing for the cultural and educational welfare of the Red Army troops. The chapter concludes with the transformation from a military government to a puppet run by the "Moscow" Germans (Socialist Unity Part of Germany, SED) under the control of figurehead Walter Ulbricht. The author wastes no time in switching gears. Chapter two describes the wholesale rape of German women, and plunder of towns and villages that reached epidemic proportions. This is by far the most disturbing section of the book in spite of Naimark's gallant efforts at objectivity. The author suggests it was this barbaric behavior more than any other contributing factors that caused the bitter relationship and eventual demise of the GDR. What was once a potential worthy ally and friend, of the Soviet Union, he argues, eventually became a burden of resentment and hatred. The author stresses in this chapter that the abuse and rape of German women continued well into 1947 and there were still significant rapes occurring in 1949. This was not a crime committed solely by war-weary frontline soldiers seeking reprisals and intent on taking revenge on the civilian populous. Rather, it occurred at all levels of the military. Officers as well as rank and file became perpetrators. Literally, German females from age eight to eighty became victims. Oftentimes the crime was committed in full view of family members, particularity husbands. Naimark weighs all the factors for this heinous behavior. Obvious reasons such as lack of control by military authorities and alcoholism are examined. In a few instances, officers and even a NKVD agent were shot when they tried to intervene in an attack of a German woman. Naimark admits Soviet documents are still scarce, and Joseph Stalin's reaction to the behavior of his troops is not well known. He suggests, however, that Stalin turned a blind ear and contributed the reports to mere Western propaganda. A counter-propaganda campaigned was launched by their Socialist Germen brethren proclaiming in the German press that German women were blamed for the spread of venereal disease among the Soviet military. Naimark considers some social and psychological determinates as well. Turning to a true gender study, Naimark explores the emotional and psychological effects this behavior had on German men. After the war, German women out-numbered the male population as most of the marriage aged men were either killed or maimed in the six-years of war. What able-bodied German men returned, quickly reclaimed the jobs the women held. As a result, German women were regulated to bucket brigades clearing the rubble from the leveled German cities. Divorce and abortion quickly rose throughout German society, the former, claims Naimark was a result of the emotional blow the abuse of German women had on the male population. In short, the Russians were delivering another form of total war, an emotional and psychotically blow to already vanquished German males that felt obligated by nature to defend their womenfolk, but helpless in its execution. These examples support Naimark's contentions, that this scar on society became a lasting legacy that permeated East Germany until its collapse in 1989. Placing the rape chapter and its social consequences near the beginning of the book creates an emotional impact that dominates the remaining chapters. Economically and politically, Naimark argues that the Soviet regime had no long-term goals for the establishment of the East German state. The author points out that the only model the Soviets had to utilize was that of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and collectivization. Major land distributions and the plundering of what was left of German industry had a detrimental affect of the German economy. The author ties in a chapter on Soviet policy making decisions and examines such institutions as Colonel Sergei Tiul'panov's Propaganda Administration. Naimark asserts that Marxist/Leninist ideology alone does not make for a successful Soviet block state in spite of the temptation the new archives presents to reexamine the rhetoric of the top Soviet leaders. A chapter on culture and education rounds out the work. The thematic approach makes for a slight unevenness, as each lengthy chapter could be an independent publication in its own right, particularly the upsetting topic of rape and plunder. Naimark utilizes an impressive array of Soviet and East German sources throughout. He also gleans from western archival material, particularly that of the Hoover Institute. Secondary sources in English seem to be lacking, however, perhaps reflecting the deficiency of English language scholarship on this much over-looked subject. The author admits that more material is yet to be revealed making this, like several other revisionists work within the realm of Soviet studies, an avenue to build upon through yet further revisions. Aside from these slight distractions, this work is a welcome addition to the birth of the Cold War period.
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