GIs and Germans: Culture, Gender, and Foreign Relations, 1945-1949

by Petra Goedde

At the end of World War II, roughly 300,000 American GIs were deployed as occupation forces in Germany. Many of them quickly developed intimate relations with their former enemies. Those informal interactions played a significant role in the transformation of Germany from enemy to ally of the United States, argues Petra Goedde in her engrossing book.
Goedde finds that as American soldiers fraternized with German civilians, particularly as they formed sexual relationships with women, they developed a feminized image of Germany that contrasted sharply with their wartime image of the aggressive Nazi storm trooper. A perception of German "victimhood" emerged that was fostered by the German population and adopted by Americans. According to Goedde, this new view of Germany provided a foundation for the political rapprochement that developed between the two countries even before the advent of the Cold War. Her provocative findings suggest that the study of foreign relations should focus on interactions not only between politicians and diplomats but also between ordinary citizens.

Genres: History

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

Reviews

[Lyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5. Much of this book reads like the academic support for the movie “The Marriage of Maria Braun.” So much so, it seemed like the film should have been addressed somewhere in the work, even if in a footnote. The latter part of the book focuses on the Berlin airlift less from a political perspective and more as a continuation of the cultural conception of Germans as feminized, dependent victims than as equal players in their fate.

[liv]

read for uni

[Dolgun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that book, very readable, I just went through it smoothly. Goedde did a great job analyzing American German post-war relations, she definitely did it from a very different perspective than what we are used to read. Goedde is arguing that US shift in opinion about how treat Germany during that very complex period of time was a consequence of the developed relation between the GIs and Germans. she even added some excitement on this by throwing the gender element there when she talked about GIs Relations with German women. overall the book is really enjoyable and very well written.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, I had to read this book to class, and it ended up going on my reading list (which I reserve for "read cover to cover", as opposed to "skimmed for class"). It reads well, very comprehensive, well researched, and a very interesting take on post-WWII German-American relations. Great read!