Adenauer's Germany and the Nazi Past

Frei has done a great service in documenting the depth and the breadth of indigenous West German opposition to bringing the criminals of the Nazi era to justice and to forcing compromised elites out of positions of responsibility in the crucial early years... His case is impressive. New Republic No one has written better. This is an important work: very well researched, reflective, sharp in judgment yet alive to complexity... Frei's conclusions are alert to the moral and political complexity of our times. -- David Blackbourn London Review of Books The value of this book, which makes for bitter but important reading, rests on the close analysis of sources in the dialectical process of constructing a democracy after 1945. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The merit of Frei's work lies in the thorough historical investigation of three important aspects of political dealing with the Nazi past--achieving an original scholarly contribution that expands and deepens our historical knowledge, and one that cannot be overlooked. Die Zeit A painstakingly researched analysis of the early Adenauer era. Norbert Frei takes a hard look at the political, judicial and intellectual consequences of the emerging amnestysizing 'policy of the past' and disapproves. The Washington Times Frei's intense use of primary soures will appeal to specialists familiar with the intricacies of postwar German politics. Choice This thorough piece of research throws much light on the west German side of de-Nazification and the profound contrast to measures taken by the Allies. Foreign Affairs Frei's excellent study deserves to be read by anyone interested in the problem of how societies attempting the transition from dictatorship to democracy face - or do not face - a troubled past. Nations and Nationalism Hailed as 'groundbreaking' and major[,]' [t]he German edition has been cited extensively in the literature since 1996. The power of the work lies not merely in the clear explication of the events... but also in Frei's balanced analysis of the positive and negative repercussions of the Federal Republic's 'policy for the past.' -- Jay Lockenour American Historical Review Frei puts an end to the polemical debate over the putative silences in the official political rhetoric of the 1950s by examining in exceptional detail exactly who said what, when, where, and why. -- Jeffrey K. Olick Ethics and International Affairs This is a fascinating book about how West Germany spent the first years of its life undoing what had been done to overcome the legacy of Nazism. -- Bill Niven Holocaust and Genocide Studies