This course offers an introduction to the history and culture of divided Germany in the era of the Cold War. It will look at the different ways the two states dealt with the country's pre-1945 history, the relations to the Allied Powers, and the major cultural shifts which eventually created a watershed in the history of German mentalities. We will look at various kinds of sources, including literature and film. Major national debates will be touched upon, such as breaks and continuities within the national elites, re-armament and pacifism, the student movement, opposition and conformity under Socialism, and the rise of environmentalism. We will also discuss the problems and opportunities of re-unification.

Taught in English. This course provides an introduction to the history of Germany after 1945, with a broad overview discussing the major turning points in this history up to the present. A special thematic focus is on how Germans have dealt with their past and to what extent these debates about historical memory have influenced national politics. A methodological emphasis is placed on the critical analysis and historical contextualization of primary sources. At the same time, the most important research literature and more recent approaches in history and cultural studies are presented. Students learn how to deal critically with sources and how to formulate decent research questions. During the semester, students write their own research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Class description: German history after 1945 is a story of dramatic change, from post-war reconstruction to the transitions following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the founding of the European Union. Using primary sources and recent research literature, this lecture will examine the historical challenges and problems that followed Germany's military and moral defeat in May 1945. With reference to the founding of the two German states, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, we will focus on a comparison between West and East German history. Topics will include the issues of reconstruction, re-education, and restitution; efforts at denazification and democratization; the development of distinct societies and independent polities during the Cold War; the awakening of 1968 and the protest movements of the 1970s and 1980s; the arrival of guest workers and the challenges of integration; and reunification in 1989-90 and the dispute over national memory to the present.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills