Aftermath

Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955

By: Harald Jähner, Shaun Whiteside - translator

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

How does a nation recover from fascism and turn toward a free society once more? This internationally acclaimed revelatory history of the transformational decade that followed World War II illustrates how Germany raised itself out of the ashes of defeat and reckoned with the corruption of its soul and the horrors of the Holocaust.

The years 1945 to 1955 were a raw, wild decade that found many Germans politically, economically, and morally bankrupt. Victorious Allied forces occupied the four zones that make up present-day Germany. More than half the population was displaced; 10 million newly released forced laborers and several million prisoners of war returned to an uncertain existence. Cities lay in ruins—no mail, no trains, no traffic—with bodies yet to be found beneath the towering rubble.

Aftermath received wide acclaim and spent forty-eight weeks on the best-seller list in Germany when it was published there in 2019.It is the first history of Germany's national mentality in the immediate postwar years. Using major global political developments as a backdrop, Harald Jähner weaves a series of life stories into a nuanced panorama of a nation undergoing monumental change. Poised between two eras, this decade is portrayed by Jähner as a period that proved decisive for Germany's future—and one starkly different from how most of us imagine it today.

The human side of reconstruction

Great book about what the average German and unsettled person experienced post war. The book is not overly technical and describes board events. Overall good read.

learned a lot

I learned a lot from this book. It answered some of my questions, but I still have more.

Where are the photos?

I purchased this on a cold snowy day and spent the weekend binge listening. This is a period of history that interests me greatly and I found that the author touched on some good topics. However, it was just enough information to pique my interest to want to learn much more. Most of the chapters can be read/listened to at random. My favorites were chapters VI and VII on the economy which talked about currency reform, the Marshall Plan, the beginning of the Cold War, and the company town of Wolfsburg. These are subjects that I definitely want to read more about.

There was a brief chapter on American G.I.s, but very little info on how the Germans felt about the occupied Allied forces.

According to the publisher, there are more than 40 photos in the book. Surely, they could have found a way for Audible customers to download them as an attachment.

I don't read or speak German, but I found Shaun Whiteside's translation excellent in that it had a natural and engaging flow. Although he is Irish, the book sounds very American.

Also, props to Rob Shapiro for a great narration. He has a lovely voice and a natural delivery.

Answers questions . . .

. . . many of us no doubt had regarding the inherent conflict between what Germany was in 1946 and what it is today. Extremely insightful analysis that draws on multiple facets of the German society and world at large. Superbly read by Mr Shapiro, as always.

Interesting and important stuff!

With all the focus on WW2 the aftermath in Germany gets little attention. This book is an important exploration of this cultural and political history. Economics gets little mention.

The narrator does a good job generally, but he butchers German pronunciations totally. That is quite annoying for a German speaker since German words appear in every other sentence.