Introduction : changing German society -- pt. 1. America's dream of a democratic Germany. America's wartime images of Germany -- U.S. occupation policy -- Assessing German perspectives -- pt. 2. Changes images of the past. National Socialism in retrospect -- Nazi crimes against the world -- Punishing the guilty : Nuremberg and after -- Denazification -- Coming to terms with the past -- pt. 3. Building a new Germany. U.S. military as mentors -- Socialization to democracy -- Media as democratizers -- Federal governance -- Creating the future
Summary
How successful was the United States in attempting to impose a democratic system on Germany after the Second World War? Did U.S. occupation policy actually change German society and attitudes? In this book Richard L. Merritt addresses these questions from a novel perspective. Instead of studying what German political leaders and intellectuals thought about the U.S. occupation, Merritt explores for the first time the response of the ordinary German people, analyzing data from public opinion surveys conducted largely by the American Military Government beginning in 1945
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 413-436) and index
