Out of the Darkness - Book Notes

Online Description

#1 Most Important Political Book of 2023, Sueddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) A Best Book of 2023, The Telegraph (Great Britain) A gripping and nuanced history of the German people from World War II to the war in Ukraine, including revealing new primary source material on Germany’s transformation In 1945, Germany lay in ruins, morally and materially. Its citizens stood condemned by history, responsible for a horrifying genocide and war of extermination. But by the end of Angela Merkel’s tenure as chancellor in 2021, Germany looked like the moral voice of Europe, welcoming more than one million refugees, holding together the tenuous threads of the European Union, and making military restraint the center of its foreign policy. At the same time, Germany’s rigid fiscal discipline and energy deals with Vladimir Putin have cast a shadow over the present. Innumerable scholars have asked how Germany could have degenerated from a nation of scientists, poets, and philosophers into one responsible for genocide. This book raises another vital question: How did a nation whose past has been marked by mass murder, a people who cheered Adolf Hitler, reinvent themselves, and how much? Trentmann tells this dramatic story of the German people from the middle of World War II through the Cold War and the division into East and West to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the struggle to find a place in the world today. This journey is marked by a series of extraordinary moral conflicts: admissions of guilt and shame vying with immediate economic concerns; restitution for some but not others; tolerance versus racism; compassion versus complicity. Through a range of voices—German soldiers and German Jews; displaced persons in limbo; East German women and shopkeepers angry about energy shortages; opponents and supporters of nuclear power; volunteers helping migrants and refugees, and right-wing populists attacking them—Trentmann paints a remarkable and surprising portrait spanning eighty years of the conflicted people at the center of Europe, showing how the Germans became who they are today.

🔫 Author Background

Trentmann is professor of history in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck College, University of London.[1] He was educated at Hamburg University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and at Harvard University, where he completed his PhD. He has taught at Princeton University and at Bielefeld University. He was Fernand Braudel Senior Fellow at the European University Institute.[2]
Trentmann won the Whitfield Prize from the Royal Historical Society for his 2008 book Free Trade Nation: Consumption, Civil Society and Commerce in Modern Britain (Oxford University Press).[1]

🔍 Author’s Main Issue / Thesis

Trentmann argues that the Germans have put morality at the center of their culture, primarily in conscience, compassion, and complicity. This has allowed the country to move from murdering millions of Jewish people during WW2, to taking in millions of refugees, and being a world leader in banking, welfare, and the environment. To fully understand this, Trentmann also argues that East and West Germany must be considered separate cultures due to the significant impact socialism vs democracy had on the people post WW2.
Trentmann says he wrote the book for two audiences: foreigners who wanted to understand how WWII still shapes German culture, and Germans to help them understand what has created their culture today and what influences their government’s decisions today.

📒 Sections

Introduction

Trentmann lays out how he will look at how Germany went from the Holocaust to letting in nearly 1 million refugees, and attempt to determine whether Germany established itself as the moral voice of Europe or if it was driven by reckless moral imperialism. Put another way, did Germany construct a façade after WWII about their collective/individual guilt, or did they change culturally in how they interact with the world?
My takeaway from the intro and the whole text is that Germany used its victim status post-WWII to gain riches and power while changing little and giving back the bare minimum to the international community.

Part One: The German War and Its Legacies 1942-60s

1) Parzival at War: The Troubled Conscience

Parzival was the knight who quested after the Holy Grail. This chapter lays the ground work for the cognitive dissidence that occurred in German solders post WWII, where they attempted to argue simultaneously that they where good and honorable soldiers for following orders and defending the Volk, while the actual criminals where solely the Nazi leaders that gave them orders. This was reenforced by the idea that WWII was a war of destiny so it was a battle on cosmic proportions that left little concern for the victims of the Nazi because the war was just.

2) The Wages of Sin: From Stalingrad to the End

The German view of the Nazi leadership began to shift with the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43), and America entering the way. This turn was started due to the significant losses imposed by Russia and the continued increase in American Bombing raids in major German cities. While both the Protestant and Catholic churches still fully supported the Nazi, at this time the sermons began to preach that German loses where due to German’s choice to chase worldly temptations over salvation. This idea continued into 1944, with continued messages that Germany was losing because of their weak Christian faith. This laid an early groundwork for the dissociation between German atrocities and their consequences.
These mental splits didn’t lead Germans to condemn their government or action, but mostly to a sense of Shame. Most of the country was aware of the treatment of the Jews, but at this time, the Nazi propaganda has stripped all humanity from them, so arguably German’s didn’t want to see the carnage, but didn’t care if it happened. While the SS conducted most of the executions, they would have been impossible without the support of the Army as well as the larger population of Germany.
1944 lead to another major split between the German population and the Nazi part, it wasn’t the continued war crimes, but the call for German women, childern, and the elderly to support the war effort by building defenses.

3) The Murderers Are Among Us: From Guild to Amnesty

The chapter opens with a story about a German victim of the Russians who could not understand the mistreatment she endured after capture. The American response was, “What did you expect after the actions of Germany?” This story starts the arc of Trentmann, which looks at collective vs. individual guilt and how the German people wavered between the two throughout the rest of modern history.

East Germany viewed it self as a new state, there for not accountable for the Nazi’s actions, but West Germany was a continuation of the Volk, and had to deal with repercussions of German actions.
Again, Trentmann reinforces with multiple stories that Germans felt shame for their actions, mostly against other Germans, but little guilt for what they did to the Jewish people and the countries they invaded.
The late 1940s saw the most significant pushback against the idea of a collective guild in Germany, while the West German justice system was mainly in the hands of former Nazi party members, leading to significant amnesty and leniency against Germans that directed and execution atrocities. The defense used was that of the member simply doing their duty, and the only people to blame are Hitler and Himmler. This reinforces the author’s earlier idea that Germans were trying to maintain the concept of good and honorable soldiers while wanting to punish the views of the leaders they felt led them against the people who executed the atrocities.

4) Making (Some) Amends: Reparation and Atonement

Post-war Germany looked at morality and the need for amends as coming from the state to both Jewish victims and German victims. This allowed Germans not to feel responsible for the nation’s actions, ignoring all the other victims of Germany.
While the German state attempted restitution to their Jewish population that was left, it was ~50% of what had been taken from the group. Compensation was limited by Jewish people not wanting to take German blood money, and most of there agencies responsible for the distribution being staff with former Nazi who weren’t motivated to distribute aid to Jewish people.

Part Two One Nation, Two States, 1949-89

5) The House of Democracy: Liberal, Within Limits

In 1949, West Germany established the Basic Law, establishing the basics of human rights for both men and women in Germany, while creating strict separations of power to avoid anything that resembles the centralizing of power that Hitler held in the future.
While most observers didn’t think Germany could become a true democracy so quickly, establishing the country’s constitution was further reinforced with significant public school education and civil support, leading to the country pulling together during crisis/hardship instead of dividing.
The turns towards equality also started happening at home in Germany, but much slower. The 1950s saw a continued push from the churches that a Man should lead the household, but the tide was changing with culture, and women started to support part-time work. However, the expectation that women are primarily responsible for the house and children continues today.
The 1960s also saw the start of political action groups in Germany, with almost as many members as voters. Political action groups, loosely organized groups of people around a single political goal or outcome, have continued to strengthen democracy in Germany.

6) A New Socialist People: The Many Moralities of the GDR

In East Germany, the GDR released the Ten Commandments for the New Socialist Person in 1958. This document served as a foundation document much like the Basic Law in the West; however, it was much more focused on protecting the state from capitalism than the rights of citizens.
The 1960s saw increased GDP in East Germany and “mini-liberalization,” where citizens were given some freedoms as long as they stayed in line with the party’s dictates.
The late 1970s through the 1980s saw the GDR’s house of cards collapse. To increase living standards, the GDR had been spending beyond its means, and instead of pulling back on spending, it turned to credit.
To keep the shell game together, the GDR turned to the Statis and Unofficial Members (IMs) to report on anyone who violated the Ten Commandments. This allowed the party to either get ahead of changes in popular opinion or crush them.

7) Searching for Heimat: East and West

Heimat is roughly home town or home, where a person is from. Hitler called all Germans home, but the post-war years saw a mass return to Germany. This was mainly due to all the countries that had been part of the German Empire, kicking out Germans after the end of WWII and the reclamation of their lands.
While the nation wanted to support returning Germans, resources were limited in the West and East, and no one wanted to share. Culturally, the West respected foreign citizenship and culture more than the East, creating a slightly better settling ground for returning Germans.

8) War and Peace: The Dilemma of Arms

Since Frederick the Great, Germany had placed soldiers on a pedestal and used them as a central part of their national identity. World War II struck a significant blow to the idea of the honorable German soldier. This led to more “schizophrenia”, where in public the war was condemned but in private, they clung to the idea that their fathers and grandfathers who fought were good men.
This disconnected lead to questions as Germany looked at rearming. Was the military the servant of the new democracy or continuing a long tradition of German soldiers? The same question didn’t occur in the East because the military was a key aspect of the fight against capitalism.
The 50s and 60s saw the beginning of the anti-nuclear movement and the peace movement in Germany. Both movements changed German culture, leading to a hesitation to deploy troops, and have weapons stationed in Germany.
The advent of Nuclear Weapons and the fracturing of the idea of the German Soldier led to an increase in conscientious objectors in the 1960s. The West had to respect its constitution, which allowed the state to force anyone to bear arms while also having to determine who was lying. This also led to conflicts with churches, because they believed they held the ultimate moral ground, and since both the Catholics and Protestants support just wars, then objectors must be lying.

9) Strangers at Home: The Difficulties of the Difference

“Germany is not a country of immigration” was a common saying of leaders in the West and can be heard today in public discourse. Still, Germany has relied on immigration for most of its labor for decades.
In the 1970s, Germany attempted to slow immigration, but it backfired and led to immigrants bringing their families to Germany so they didn’t lose their status as foreign workers. However, for the most part, Germany refused to recognize them as citizens, leaving them in limbo just like the dreamers in America.
Turkish immigrants spurred the fight more than other groups, due to many factors, which split Germany into one camp that believed in multiculturalism and one that wanted to maintain German culture.
The East took in many fewer immigrants than the West, and one of the major differences was that in the GDR, workers were tied to a government contract, so they could not resign or move jobs. This was coupled with the fact that, per the party, racism didn’t exist in the East, so if anyone complained, they were wrong and sent home.
Since the 1970s, the backdrop of WWII and immigration policy has led Germany to oscillate between significant empathy and locking its borders, when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers.

Part Three After the Wall, 1989-2022

10) United and Divided: The Cost of Freedom

Merging West and East Germany after the wall fell (1989) was a significant shock to the German system. The West decided to privatize most of the East, leading to little government accountability but significant job losses for the new German citizens.
The 1990s also saw the division between blood and passport citizenship, which provided a pathway for immigrant workers to become citizens.

11) In the Wild World: Germany at Its Limits

NATO, GWOT, and the war in Ukraine have forced Germany to reassess its role as an isolationist exporter, dependent on others for security and economic prosperity. These factors have led to another split in Germany, where the country looks to profit from the global East, while maintaining security relationships with the West.
These changes have also led to a 2 class integration system. Those who are approved refugees and get full benefits, and those who aren’t but are allowed to stay in the country with little support. Overall, while Germany is doing better with right-wing populism than other countries, the AfD has deep roots linking back to WWII to pull on when arguing that jews and immigrants are causing all of Germany’s modern problems.

Part Four Trying to Be Good, 1950s to the Present

12) Money Matters: Thrifty, Wealth, and Unequal

Nazis and Hyper inflation as created the myth of thriftiness in Germany. Creating the idea that if only the rest of the world saved like Germans (they don’t), they could be better off. This myth led to Germany’s condemnation of other EU countries during the recessions for not saving well enough, while having a population with extremely low home ownership that was bailed out, unlike many others, after WWII.
This has led to multiple welfare laws, where Germany attempts to provide only enough support for citizens to become stable again, and promote work. Ultimately, the country created a significant wealth gap between those who could save and those who felt shame for being unable to save.

13) The Circles of Care: Family, Community, and State

Germany has three types of aid: forced insurance, state special group benefits, and social aid. Churches in Germany still distribute most social aid, and how much you can get is based on how much you put in, like Social Security. This has reinforced German ideas about traditional gender roles since a female who doesn’t work will never have as much state support as a working male.
Unlike in the US, children are responsible for “parental support” in Germany, meaning they are financially obligated to care for their parents, regardless of their current relationship with them, before the state will help.

14) Mother Nature: Loving and Trashing

Similar to the American Conservation movement, just decades later, post-WWII Germans started to defend nature. This shift towards nature also helped support Germany’s anti-nuclear movement, as now it wasn’t only the fear of the bomb that drove citizens but also the accidents at nuclear power plants around the world.
While the East originally had a strong nature movement, the lack of resources under a communist system quickly led them to give up on protection, to meet state-driven economic demands.
In the modern era, Germany’s love of nature has also caused energy problems. While it has shut down most of its production, it is now dependent on Russia for energy and protests Russian expansion.

I will have to find some, none come to mind now.

☠️ Agree, Disagree, or Suspend

Agree

I think Trentmann makes a compelling argument that Germany recovered better than anyone expected after WWII, but they still have significant social and economic problems to overcome.