The Russians in Germany: A History of the Soviet Zone of Occupation, 1945-1949

I found the book to be informative and enlightening. The story of the Russian occupation of Germany, especially Berlin, after the war has received little, if any, attention by those writers of World War II history. The suffering of the Germans under Russian occupation was as severe as in the Russian Gulags. And of course many Germans ended up there as well. This book is well written and documented to provide a unique insight to this little known part of World War II history.

Norman M. Naimark, Robert and Florence McDonnell Professor of East European Studies at Stanford University, has written an admirable treatment of a rarely touched topic: the Soviet occupation of Germany from 1945 to the creation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1949. Naimark draws from a wealth of freshly released Russian archival material, and newly tapped GDR sources. The result is a thematically arranged work that argues the Soviet regime failed in its governing policies in the occupational zone of Germany as well as, failing to win the hearts and minds of the East German people. Naimark combines a smooth blend of social and political history along with an engaging narrative to develop his argument. Chapter One chronicles the fledgling attempts of the Russians to administer the newly "liberated" territories. He describes the role the Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SVAG) played in administrating the region, and providing for the cultural and educational welfare of the Red Army troops. The chapter concludes with the transformation from a military government to a puppet run by the "Moscow" Germans (Socialist Unity Part of Germany, SED) under the control of figurehead Walter Ulbricht.                 The author wastes no time in switching gears. Chapter two describes the wholesale rape of German women, and plunder of towns and villages that reached epidemic proportions. This is by far the most disturbing section of the book in spite of Naimark's gallant efforts at objectivity. The author suggests it was this barbaric behavior more than any other contributing factors that caused the bitter relationship and eventual demise of the GDR. What was once a potential worthy ally and friend, of the Soviet Union, he argues, eventually became a burden of resentment and hatred. The author stresses in this chapter that the abuse and rape of German women continued well into 1947 and there were still significant rapes occurring in 1949. This was not a crime committed solely by war-weary frontline soldiers seeking reprisals and intent on taking revenge on the civilian populous. Rather, it occurred at all levels of the military. Officers as well as rank and file became perpetrators. Literally, German females from age eight to eighty became victims. Oftentimes the crime was committed in full view of family members, particularity husbands. Naimark weighs all the factors for this heinous behavior. Obvious reasons such as lack of control by military authorities and alcoholism are examined. In a few instances, officers and even a NKVD agent were shot when they tried to intervene in an attack of a German woman. Naimark admits Soviet documents are still scarce, and Joseph Stalin's reaction to the behavior of his troops is not well known. He suggests, however, that Stalin turned a blind ear and contributed the reports to mere Western propaganda. A counter-propaganda campaigned was launched by their Socialist Germen brethren proclaiming in the German p

This book is required reading for anyone interested in the ex-East Germany. From the very beginning, Naimark shows how the Moscow Germans (Ulbricht, et al) were apologists for everything and anything the Soviets did to their conquered German "friends." This more than anything else painted the Communists and their "United Front" Party, the SED, as little more than stooges for the hated Russians. Thus, the GDR leadership had no legitimacy in the eyes of the average worker. Naimark's study also describes how complete Sovietization was in the arts and education, though he only peripherally describes the Lutheran Church's involvement in the social transformation being wrought. This is curious, since it was the Church that provided a haven for dissent in the future years, but Naimark clearly had to prioritize his subjects of focus. This is a "must-have" for anyone interested in the Cold War, the GDR and the Soviet Union.

This is a quite outstanding piece of research into a subject that was once all but closed off to scholars, thanks to East German and Soviet secrecy. The author seems familiar with all the available source material in German and Russian and as a result writes with complete authority. Among his conclusions are that even the East German Communists found it hard to accept some of the sheer brutality and bullying of the Soviet occupiers. At the same time, the Soviet authorities were not too impressed with the East German comrades' plans to accelerate the imposition of a Soviet-type political and economic system. Meanwhile, rape and rapacity on the part of the occupiers proceeded apace. A remarkable work that leaves a lasting impression.

Because history is written by the victors, one seldom hears of the plight of the vanquished. The author desribes the rape, plunder, murder, and indoctrination of ordinary Germans after WWII. by the Russians and their communist allies. This book documents the terror these people indured and how they survived.