Due to the economic boom and Adenauer the Bonn regime has brought Germany a stability she has not known since 1914. But the...

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THE UNQUIET GERMANS

Due to the economic boom and Adenauer the Bonn regime has brought Germany a stability she has not known since 1914. But the question still looms larger ""is she prepared to meet the responsibilities of self-government?"" Economic security is not enough, claims the author. The twin questions of reunification and Germany's future as a state are the critical decisions which must be made. Mr. Thayer, author of Bears in the Caviar and Hands across the Caviar -- semi-biographical books relating to his diplomatic assignments in Russia-, reports and analyzes the German scene from the Weimar Republic to the present day. The stringency of the Versailles Conference, many thought, embittered Germany and was partly responsible for her eruption under Hitler, though there were a fervent few who openly opposed him. During the occupation Americans made attempts to democratize Germany by imposing simulated American systems -- this compounded the already shaky psychological complexion of the people. Today every youth from the most dedicated democrat to the staunchest authoritarian agrees uneasily that there is an uncertainty about the future of the country. The analysis of the political picture -- in terms of Germany itself, its relation to the West, the psychological ramifications -- is brought to bear through conversations with a cross-section of the population and historical reiteration. Not comparable in its implications to A Watcher on the Rhine by Connell.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1957

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