Kriegsende und Neubeginn : Westdeutschland und Luxemburg zwischen 1944 und 1947

Abstract

The volume Kriegende und Neubeginn. Westdeutschland und Luxemburg zwischen 1944 und 1947 (1997), developed and edited by Kurt Düwell and Michael Matheus, analyzes central aspects of the abrupt and ambivalent transition from war to postwar order in the western German border region and in Luxembourg. The foreword emphasizes the simultaneous occurrence of military defeat, immediate transitional administration by the Allies, and the beginning of the dismantling of Nazi rule at the local level. Key findings include: (1) the coexistence of continuity and discontinuity in municipal administration within the four-power occupation zones; (2) the limited and sometimes contradictory removal or appointment of local officials by American, British, and French military administrations and the resulting tensions between order enforcement and normative reorganization; (3) the immediate postwar priorities — repatriation of evacuees, food supply, and equitable allocation of scarce housing — which served as criteria for legitimizing local reorganization; (4) occupation-zone boundaries, notably in the French zone, functioning as economic divides that hindered mobility, reconstruction, and the integration of displaced persons; and (5) the significance of regional case studies (the Palatinate, Rhenish Hesse, and the Rhine–Moselle area) for understanding cross-border problems and comparative regional history. Contributions further underscore cross-border perspectives (including Luxembourg's occupation of German territories through 1955), the value of interdisciplinary cooperation, and the need to reflect on collective memory beyond the simple dichotomy of "defeat" or "liberation." Overall, the volume contributes to a more differentiated debate on the 1944/45–circa 1947 period and opens avenues for transnational comparative research in German–Luxembourg postwar studies.