Germany in World War II

Unlike in other states such as Great Britain, the USA or the Soviet Union, the Second World War in Germany does not usually form a distinct and compact period. The most popular phases in the history of twentieth century Germany consist of: the Kaiserreich, 1890-1919; the Weimar Republic, 1919-33; the Third Reich, 1933-45; divided Germany, 1945-89; and reunified Germany after 1989. The Second World War usually receives attention as part of the history of the Third Reich. On the other hand, historians of the War often approach the conflict from a German centred approach. Some differences exist between the perspectives of German and Anglo-American historians, with the former, especially those who work on local history, more likely to examine the Second World War as a distinct period, although some recent major works have begun to buck this trend in Anglo-American scholarship. In recent years the multi-volume Clarendon history of Germany and the Second World War published in English and translated from the German Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, has helped to unify the Anglo-American and German perspectives. Some of the volumes included in this article, however, view the Second World War in Germany as part of the wider history of the Third Reich. From the outset Nazi Germany and the Second World War within it has given rise to a vast literature, which began as the Nazis rose to power and has continued unabated until the present. This article can therefore only provide the briefest of introductions to this enormous historiography by outlining the key publications in these areas: General Overviews; The Push to War; The Invasion of Eastern Europe; The Bombing of German Cities; Economic Mobilization; Genocide; Foreign Workers and Prisoners of War; Local History; Women; Children; Repression and Resistance; Religion; Propaganda; and Defeat.