Brutal Peace Chapter Seven Chapter Thesis

Total Length: 674 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 2

But despite the rhetorical agreement amongst all of the occupying Allied powers, de-Nazification in Eastern vs. Western Germany had a very different character. Soviets were less interested in prosecuting war criminals and more interested in eliminating all individuals and aspects of culture deemed counterrevolutionary (Mazower 238). Destroying German capitalism and private ownership of agriculture was the priority, not feeding the hungry or finding former Nazis. However, Western de-Nazification was hardly superior -- it was done on a case-by-case basis, did not exclude former Nazis from public life, and most Germans believed that lower-level officials were prosecuted, while those really responsible for war crimes were set free in the American zone (Mazower 239). Interestingly enough, the French were probably the most successful in their de-Nazification efforts, given that they focused on German youth, and changing German culture more than former Nazis (Mazower 240).

Massive financial outlays, meager social changes, and "back-pedaling" upon their previous agreements for major reforms was characteristic of the Western efforts, while the Soviet occupation caused major upheavals, primarily because instituting a new socialist system was the goal. Mazower, although not complimentary to the Soviet efforts, notes that economic conditions were not substantially worse in the East, despite the wastefulness of the dismantling of the capitalist industrial system (Mazower 239). Then, disputes over reparations caused the fragile alliance between Germany's occupiers to unravel.
The U.S. had experienced an economic boom as a result of World War II, Russia, in contrast, had suffered devastating casualties and while the U.S. may have wanted to avoid the post-Versailles mistake that generated the economic suffering in Germany that helped give rise to Nazism, Russia felt that Germany 'owed' Russia something (Mazower 243). The uncomfortable question of who to support given the choice between leftists anti-Nazis and anti-communist conservatives made the U.S. reluctant to take too strident a position upon the subject of de-Nazification, while Russia was only too eager to exploit Eastern Europe's weaknesses in the name of anti-Nazification for its own benefits.

Works.....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Brutal Peace Chapter Seven Chapter" (2008, September 29) Retrieved May 21, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/brutal-peace-chapter-seven-chapter-27910

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Brutal Peace Chapter Seven Chapter" 29 September 2008. Web.21 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/brutal-peace-chapter-seven-chapter-27910>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Brutal Peace Chapter Seven Chapter", 29 September 2008, Accessed.21 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/brutal-peace-chapter-seven-chapter-27910