Shouldering the Burdens of Defeat

West Germany and the Reconstruction of Social Justice

Nonfiction, History, Western Europe, Military, World War II
Cover of the book Shouldering the Burdens of Defeat by Michael L. Hughes, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael L. Hughes ISBN: 9781469619538
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: June 30, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Michael L. Hughes
ISBN: 9781469619538
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: June 30, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

World War II and its aftermath brought devastating material losses to millions of West Germans. Military action destroyed homes, businesses, and personal possessions; East European governments expelled 15 million ethnic Germans from their ancestral homes; and currency reform virtually wiped out many Germans' hard-earned savings. These "war damaged" individuals, well over one-third of the West German population, vehemently demanded compensation at the expense of those who had not suffered losses, to be financed through capital levies on surviving private property.

Michael Hughes offers the first comprehensive study of West Germany's efforts to redistribute the costs of war and defeat among its citizenry. The debate over a Lastenausgleich (a balancing out of burdens) generated thousands of documents in which West Germans articulated deeply held beliefs about social justice, economic rationality, and political legitimacy. Hughes uses these sources to trace important changes in German society since 1918, illuminating the process by which West Germans, who had rejected liberal democracy in favor of Nazi dictatorship in the 1930s, came to accept the social-market economy and parliamentary democracy of the 1950s.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

World War II and its aftermath brought devastating material losses to millions of West Germans. Military action destroyed homes, businesses, and personal possessions; East European governments expelled 15 million ethnic Germans from their ancestral homes; and currency reform virtually wiped out many Germans' hard-earned savings. These "war damaged" individuals, well over one-third of the West German population, vehemently demanded compensation at the expense of those who had not suffered losses, to be financed through capital levies on surviving private property.

Michael Hughes offers the first comprehensive study of West Germany's efforts to redistribute the costs of war and defeat among its citizenry. The debate over a Lastenausgleich (a balancing out of burdens) generated thousands of documents in which West Germans articulated deeply held beliefs about social justice, economic rationality, and political legitimacy. Hughes uses these sources to trace important changes in German society since 1918, illuminating the process by which West Germans, who had rejected liberal democracy in favor of Nazi dictatorship in the 1930s, came to accept the social-market economy and parliamentary democracy of the 1950s.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book English Common Law in the Age of Mansfield by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Latin American Street Food by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Golden State, Golden Youth by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Holy Smoke by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book The Great Catastrophe of My Life by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Black Life on the Mississippi by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book A Place Called Appomattox by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Tar Heel Politics 2000 by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book In This Remote Country by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Singing in My Soul by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Havana by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Peaches by Michael L. Hughes
Cover of the book Winning the Third World by Michael L. Hughes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy