Description

---

A wide-ranging, insightful history of culture in West Germany—from literature, film, and music to theater and the visual arts
 
After World War II a mood of despair and impotence pervaded the arts in West Germany. The culture and institutions of the Third Reich were abruptly dismissed, yet there was no immediate return to the Weimar period’s progressive ideals. In this moment of cultural stasis, how could West Germany’s artists free themselves from their experiences of Nazism?
 
Moving from 1945 to reunification, Michael H. Kater explores West German culture as it emerged from the darkness of the Third Reich. Examining periods of denial and complacency as well as attempts to reckon with the past, he shows how all postwar culture was touched by the vestiges of National Socialism.
 
From the literature of Günter Grass to the happenings of Joseph Beuys and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s innovations in electronic music, Kater shows how it was only through the reinvigoration of the cultural scene that West Germany could contend with its past—and eventually allow democracy to reemerge.

About the Author

---

Michael H. Kater is distinguished research professor emeritus of history at York University, Toronto, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is the author of Culture in Nazi Germany, Weimar: From Enlightenment to the Present, and Hitler Youth.

Praise For…

---

“[An] excellent new book. . . . After the Nazis seeks to explore not only the details of West German culture, but also its importance to the nation in the first place.”—Ben Hutchinson, Times Literary Supplement

“Kater’s book provides excellent political and economic context, decade by decade, alongside personal vignettes and reflections (he grew up in West Germany in the 1950s) that offer insight.”—Evan M. Anderson, Library Journal

“There are other books on postwar Germany of real quality, yet Kater has managed the most comprehensive on the question of just how Germany became, well, vaguely normal. He accords considerable credit to artists, authors, and filmmakers for providing regular pressure to ensure that this remains the case.”—Anthony Paletta, Washington Examiner

“An eminent scholar who’s devoted his career to illuminating a savage ideology. . . . Kater leaves no stone unturned. . . . He girds his arguments with rich detail, seeking moral purpose in the Germany of today while telling a compelling story.”—Hamilton Cain, On the Seawall