I honestly hope books like Aftermath never stop having an emotional connection with me. To forget the brutality, or to imagine it wasn't as bad as we know it was, minimises all the innocent lives that were taken.

Excellent and extremely interesting - very deserving of all the praise it has had. An incredible historical account

I think I was hoping for something a little more accessible in language - this had moments of interest, but large chunks were very dry and scholarly language that was either impenetrable, or slightly dull. I could get to the end of a chapter and not be able to summarise what I’d read. The art chapter was particularly bad for this - it was art criticism, not really how things were or changed in the aftermath. I found the last 1/4 of the book a slog.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich 1945 - 1955 by Harald Jahner tells the tale of the ten years after World War II in Germany. We see cities reduced to rubble, the majority of the population in the wrong place (there were 8.5 million soldiers in foreign Prisoner of War camps who needed to come home plus another 8 million forced labourers) and the German population feeling self pity rather than guilt. The sheer scale of devastation and reinvention in the decade after the war is jaw dropping. Germany is a country that I know well, indeed used to live in, but much of what I read was completely new to me. Harald Jahner is German and old enough to remember the decade after the war, he has written an unsentimental, non judgemental absolutely fascinating book. If you are interested in twentieth century history add it to your Christmas list.

I enjoyed reading Aftermath, it was an interesting and in-depth look at what happened after the war, something that many forget when looking at that period in history.

This is such an informative, interesting book about a period in German history that I know little about: 1945-1955. It shows that German cities were pretty much decimated by the end of the war, that ex-Nazi party members were forced to clean up the rubble and that most importantly, many Germans thought that they were hard done by, by the end of the war - their country in ruins, no industry and no food. But what’s most startling, is how quickly the German recovery was. Jähner states that this was in large part due to the return of the Germans who had been living in occupied countries.

The black market was also a huge earner for many German citizens: one teenager is described as having thousands of Marks worth of cigarettes in his house. Money was there to be made for the improvising, bold, German!

What probably resonated with me most, was the lot of the German woman. They had been expected to be the perfect German Female during National Socialism, then experienced a kind of social and sexual liberation after the end of the war. However, when their husbands and men returned from captivity (or just made their ways home), they found themselves being expected to revert to the stereotypical role of the housewife. But they wanted more. They wanted to continue in careers, they wanted equality, and they didn’t necessarily want to deal with broken, defeated husbands (as cruel as this may seem).

What really surprised me, was how was how former Nazi party members still worked in positions of influence, both politically and in industry - and this was the case in both East and West Germany. Even though the Allies made a point of ‘educating’ German citizens about the holocaust, National Socialists seemed to largely escape punishment and carried on with their lives. Their children may have had their doubts as to their parents innocence, and the real movement to ‘out’ the national guilt didn’t really get going until the 1960’s, but there was dissent in the 1950’s already.

I could go on. This is such an interesting book, and written so accessibly. It didn’t read at all like a dry history book, and the photos and posters from the time are well chosen and really add to the book as a whole. This isn’t just a history book for history buffs.

Recommended.

Such a well researched and fascinating book. Sent me off to further explore the issues described. Gave me a true insight into the impact of the war upon the German people. So many things I did not know!

This is a fascinating account of decade that followed World War II.It is readable and full of gripping detail.. This book assesses the complex layers of issues and examines how the decade formed the basis for German democracy.

*A big thank-you to Harald Jahner, Random House UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
The non-fiction that aims at explaining the paths Germany took after WW2 was over to become a democratic country it is now. Comprehensive and readable, the book offers an insight into the first post-war decades, focusing on individuals and social rather than political changes. I was quite unaware of the hostile moods that prevailed towards the Germans who arrived having been explelled from the territiories formely belonging to Germany in the wake of new borders drawn at the conferences in Teheran and Jalta. And the idea the Author puts forward that the success of Germany may have been in its diversity is quite interesting. The Germans deported to their new homeland were forced to seek ways to establish themselves in totally new environment and were open and energetic which allowed them to become successful.

A fascinating and detailed account of a destroyed nation at the end of and in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Lots of insight and anecdotes thus one gets a small sense of what it must have been like living in such horrific times, living in 'Year Zero', as the German called it.

i couldn't finish this book as it was too long winded for me. Having loved the tattooist of Auschwitz and books of this genre this one just didn't do it for me and i understand it is not that kind of book but i don't know if it is the book or just the way its written but it just didn't cut it for me.

This is an absolutely unmissable read for anybody interested in postwar European history. Germany's saga following the Second World War is a uniquely fascinating one, and 'Aftermath' presents it in such a comprehensive, stirring and unforgettable way. Disquieting and heartbreaking.

I gave this book to my 18 year old son to read as he loves everything about WWII, even studying as part of his A-levels. He was very impressed by how interesting and informative the book was. Obviously a lot of well-researched details were included which he soaked up, Jähner has written a book which filled in many details of an often overlooked period of time in history. My son would definitely recommend this book, especially if like him you have an interest in German history, and the Cold War.

A fascinating look at the years after World War Two a period of time I’ve read little about.The heartbreaking years right after the hardships will shock and sadden.So well written so informative highly recommend.#netgalley #afermath

An enlightening book on post war Germany. If you think life instantly reverted to how it was pre-war, then you need to read this. It’s an eye-opener as nothing could be further from the truth. The country was in disarray. Families reunited after the war were often unable to get back that normality of life before - there was just too much change. Poverty and disorder continued. This book deserves to be read as it’s informative and, unlike many history books, easy to read and to take in.

An interesting and informative read on a period of history not often taught and from a point of view often overlooked.
I have a slight interest in world war history, but I do think this is aimed at an audience with more interest. I found it a slog, but that's probably because I lacked interest and basic knowledge.
It is insightful, respectful and well written.
Grab this book for a vacation or commute read.

In UK schools during the 50s and 60s we were never encouraged to consider the plight of the defeated Germans during and after World War 2. I had no idea that more people were killed in a single night of bombing over one German city than were killed throughout the whole of the Blitz, nor the near-total extent of the devastation of most urban areas, to say nothing of how people managed to live with their grim recent history as they moved forward after 1945. This well-researched book, which is superbly translated and has a wealth of useful references, helps put everything into perspective. It does not make for especially comfortable reading, but deserves to be widely read.

With thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for this honest review.

This was a fascinating read providing wonderful insight into Germany and what made it tick during the second world war. Afterward the country was destroyed, flat on its back, depleted, unsure of ever being able to recover. It could have become the biggest nation on the planet, but instead it fell in ruins. For history buffs like me this is a must read!!

A fascinating look at a little known area of history. The only book I had read about the aftermath of the war in Germany was the Anonymous ″A Woman in Berlin″. That spoke specifically about the breakdown of society at the immediate end of the war. Somehow I had never thought about what happened afterwards, because the Germany I was aware of growing up was an efficient and wealthy democracy.
(The book mainly concentrates on West Germany and Berlin, although there are references to East Germany.)

This book looks at many aspects of life as people try to adjust in the wake of defeat. The destruction of buildings, which gives rise not only to the problem of where people are going to live, but how do you actually get rid of all the rubble? The shortage of food - in the few months after May 1945, the occupying forces managed to provide enough food for survival and rationing was introduced, but as time went by the ration was cut and the black market flourished, necessitating most of the population being drawn into criminal acts. The return of defeated soldiers, often wounded in mind as well as body, and mostly strangers to their families. (I was reminded of the video that Arnold Schwarzenegger made after the January 6 riot where he talks of his Austrian father being often drunk and violent, but so were all the neighbours who had been soldiers.) The problem of ″displaced persons″ as camps were emptied out and people tried to make their way home, if home still existed. Particularly poignant was the plight of young people who might only have known camps as their home and struggled to integrate into society.

This isn′t a huge tome but it covers a lot of ground. I found it very readable because it was giving so many insights into not only Germany in the 20th century, but the end of the war as a whole.

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

A very good, interesting and informative read. Well-researched and well-written, Jähner has written a book that fills in details of an oft-overlooked period of history. A must read for anyone with an interest in mid-20th Century history, German history, and also the Cold War. I enjoyed this.