In the Wake of War

'This is the first comprehensive study of the rebuilding of West Germany's cities following World War II ... Diefendorf presents a wealth of material on all aspects of reconstruction ... this is a detailed and scholarly study of social policy in Weimar Germany ... Elizabeth Harvey's lucid and scholarly analysis provides new insights into the troubled development of the Weimar welfare state, and adds important evidence to the debate over continuities in social policy between Weimar Germany and the Third Reich.' History: European
'The book succeeds splendidly in its objective of explaining the roles played by the architects, planners and government officials who were responsible for this swift transformation ... it will be of enormous interest to historians of modern Germany, urban geographers, town planners and architects. This impressive study is supported by a wide range of maps, diagrams, tables, photographs and sources culled by the author from over thirty archives. All this is woven into a detailed and fascinating analysis.' Frank McDonough, History Today, August 1994
'A chapter on the post-war agencies of reconstruction and a short conclusion on the success and failure of the reconstruction programmes gives the book a happy symmetry ... a welcome contribution to the English-language literature on post-war German urbanism.' ITimes Literary Supplement
Focusing on the experience of over thirty of Germany's largest cities, this is the first general account in English of the might efforts to rebuild urban Germany after 1945. The research effort and the command of detail are impressive and Professor Diefendorf tells the involved tale with clarity and style. * William Forsyth, University of York, EHR June '96 *