British Forces in Germany

A Transnational History of Soldiers, Families, and German Communities, 1945-2019
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-44030-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 276 Seiten, Format (B × H): 158 mm x 238 mm, Gewicht: 574 g

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Modern European History

From the end of World War II in 1945 until the drawdown in 2019, about two million British military personnel and their families were stationed in northwestern Germany. This book explores the social, cultural and political impact of this presence on both the military and the host communities.

Considering the British occupation and subsequent stationing of troops as an entangled experience, this study reveals how shifting power dynamics and changing geopolitical scenarios impacted German–British relations over more than seven decades. It not only explores official civilian–military relations, but also the varied transnational and cross-cultural encounters at a personal level (including those of soldiers’ spouses and children) that shaped contact zones and influenced policies. Drawing on a wide range of sources from both countries—oral history interviews, written recollections, memoirs, archival documents, and print and audiovisual media—the book gives equal weight to British and German voices. In doing so, it offers fresh, multifaceted insights into post-war British–German history.

This book is recommended for scholars, students, and general readers interested in transnational history, military occupations, troop deployment, and (post-) Cold War Europe.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Blum, Bettina

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Besondere Kriege und Kampagnen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Deutsche Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1. Frameworks of Power: Negotiating and Transforming Official Contact 2. Occupied Neighbourhoods: Power Dynamics in Domestic Spaces 3. The ‘British Bubble’: Military Communities in Transnational Spaces 4. Unofficial Intermediaries: Love Across Borders 5. Transnational Labour Dynamics: Work as a Contact Zone 6. Encounters in Daily Life: Cultural Contact Zones and Informal Interactions 7. Managing Conflict: Legal Relations, Conflicts, and Cooperation 8. Navigating War and Peace: Exercises and War Deployments 9. Performing Belonging: Linguistic, Symbolic, and Cultural Displays 10. Transforming Military Presence: Drawdown, Legacies, and Post-Military Transitions. Conclusion

Über Autor(innen)

Bettina Blum leads the DFG-funded project 'British Forces in Germany: The British Occupation and the Stationing of Troops in a Transnational Perspective’ at Paderborn University, Germany, having previously curated exhibitions on this topic. Her further research interests include the Allied occupations of Germany and Japan, public history, gender history and police history. She received her PhD at Münster University, Germany, on Women Police in East and West Germany.