Britain and Germany in the twentieth century / edited by Manfred Görtemaker.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Görtemaker, Manfred.

Series:

German historical perspectives 0953-363X ; 18.

German historical perspectives, 0953-363X ; 18

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain--Foreign relations--Germany.

Great Britain.

International relations.

Germany.

Great Britain--Foreign relations--20th century.

Germany--Foreign relations--Great Britain.

Germany--Foreign relations--20th century.

Physical Description:

xii, 226 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

English edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Berg, 2006.

Summary:

The history of British-German relations in the twentieth century has been characterized by a remarkable dichotomy of friendship and hostility. What started as a family affair with Kaiser Wilhelm II, the grandson of Queen Victoria, and his admiration for the British Navy, soon turned into a violent struggle for superiority in Europe during two World Wars. After 1945 the two countries became allies, if not friends, again. But when Germany was reunified in 1990, Prime Minister Thatcher did not hesitate to warn that history might repeat itself, referring to the creation of the German Reich in 1871 as the starting point of the European tragedy.

This book considers the most critical aspects of this volatile relationship during the past 100 years: the rivalry at sea before World War I, David Lloyd George and the Weimar Republic, the appeasement policy of the 1930s and Rudolf Hess's flight to Scotland in 1941, the post-World War II period of occupation and partnership, and the British attitude toward the new Germany post-1990.

Contents:

Rivals at Sea: British-German Naval Policies before World War I / Jorg Duppler 13

Misgivings about Versailles: Lloyd George and the Weimar Republic / Bernhard D. Fulda 31

Appeasement Revisited: Chamberlain, Hitler and the Policy of Munich / Marie-Luise Recker 53

The Bizarre Mission: Rudolf Hess in Britain / Manfred Gortemaker 75

Implementing Peace: Britain and Germany 1945-55 / Lothar Kettenacker 101

Pax Americana: The United States and Europe in the Twentieth Century / Detlef Junker 123

Partners in NATO: Britain, Germany and the 'Nuclear Issue' / Beatrice Heuser 145

'The Silent Alliance': UK/FRG Defence Relationships, 1968-89 / Sir Michael Quinlan 185

Discord over German Unification: Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Kohl / Norbert Himmler 197.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-221) and index.

ISBN:

1859738427

OCLC:

62090736

Publisher Number:

9781859738429 (cloth : alk. paper)