Leaving Violence Behind: Thoughts On The Development Of Germany After 1945

Richard Bessel

Authors

Richard Bessel University of York

Abstract

Among the ‘miracles’ that characterised post-war Germany,
perhaps the most miraculous was the turn of the German population
away from violence and their violent past. The transformation
already had begun during the last months of the war,
when the violence visited on Germans reached its peak. This
avalanche of violence provided a shock that created the basis
for a profound cultural shift: away from militaristic values as
Germany became a strikingly peaceful, non-violent country.
After considering what occurred in 1945, the article goes on
to discuss various spheres where this cultural shift may be
traced: attitudes towards the military and military service,
corporal punishment in schools, the increased prominence of
women in public life, and the general process of liberalization
that affected postwar Western Europe generally.

Keywords: Germany, Post-war, violence, peaceful.

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