Chaos, ruin & renewal: Germany in 1945

At the bitter, drawn-out conclusion of the Second World War in 1945, Germany stood in ruins – both literally and psychologically. Cities had been reduced to rubble, millions were dead or displaced and there was a governmental power vacuum. Speaking with Ellie Cawthorne, Cundill History Prize-nominated author Harald Jähner reveals how the country began to rebuild itself following the chaos of war.

Harald Jähner is the author of Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich (Ebury, 2022)