Building a New Germany: Denazification and Political Re-education, 1944–1948 - Key Data

As the Second World War entered its final year, and the Allied victory looked secure, a growing number of British officials began to consider the future. Alongside their Allied counterparts, they explored ways to ensure that Germany would emerge as a stable, peaceful, and democratic nation. An unprecedented and largely experimental programme of political re-education, aimed at the German people, both Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilians, became central to this endeavour. At special facilities throughout Britain and its empire, large numbers of Germans were subject to a carefully curated course of lectures, film screenings, readings, cultural activities, field trips, and more. The aim was to instil a set of values and ideas which the British believed would be conducive to the emergence of a safe and prosperous Germany.

Building a New Germany: Denazification and Political Re-education, 1944–1948 comprises over 3,700 images, drawn from 46 files in the FO 939 series at The National Archives (UK). The collection explores the policy of re-education from a number of angles. It surveys the high-level government decisions that instigated and framed this innovative process. The documents likewise offer examples of the official guidance and instructions that were sent to camp authorities. You will also find descriptions of the course materials used, reflections of lecturers and educators involved in the process, and the views of the German POWs themselves. The collection offers fascinating insights into British perspectives on extreme ideologies, as well as into concepts of political control and indoctrination, including strategies on how to reverse them. Building a New Germany explores a key transitional period when the British tried to reshape Germany from foe to friend.

This collection will be of value to students and scholars with interests in post-war Europe, ideology, and the social history of conflict and dictatorship. It likewise offers insights into collective psychology, the construction of citizenship, and the processes of peace-making and nation-building.