U.S. Military Government and Democratic Reform and Denazification in Bavaria 1945-47

<p>This thesis studies the efforts of the U.S. Military Government in Bavaria to bring about democratic reform and denazification. It focuses on the period from V-E Day on 8 May 1945 to 5 June 1947 when Secretary of State George Marshall first publicly announced the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). This study reveals that the organizational restructuring and ultimate diminishment of military government played an important role in achieving German political autonomy. The study further reveals that democratic reform efforts along federalist lines were relatively successful in Bavaria and that contrary to some critics' assertions the American military government played a prominent role in this achievement. The study then focuses on denazification efforts. It determines that total denazification failed because in part the American military government pursued contradictory policies of attempting to restore political autonomy to Bavarians and at the same time pursuing aggressive denazification. Nonetheless denazification did not wholly fail and aided somewhat in bringing about democratization through stigmatizing Nazism as a political ideology. This study concludes by pointing out that despite some failures especially in denazification the American military government and Bavarians forged a viable if imperfect democracy during the crucial period from 1945 to 1947.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>