Denazification

        Although the fate of the Germans was sealed after WWII, with the division of Berlin, the strict limitation of armaments, and the careful supervision of the allied powers, the fate of Nazism and its poignant ideologies was much more complicated. A period of de-nazification followed WWII, as the Allied powers made it their mission to rid the German and Austrian societies of anything related to the Nazi Party. The term, created in 1943, referred to the post-war movement, but the program was ended in 1951 with the emergence of the Cold War. Obviously, the denazification program was highly unpopular in Germany. As a status quo, the Allied powers had agreed amongst one another that Germany could never have the ability to rise up and disrupt international affairs- as it had done in both the first and second world war. According to [germanculture.com], first steps were taken to "demilitarize, denazify, and democratize Germany". The first step in August 1945 was to try those who committed numerous war crimes under the Nuremberg trials. Individuals put on trial were Albert Speer, Hermann Goering, Wilhelm Keitel- and although not tried, Joseph Mengele was also highly sought after even though he escaped into Argentina. 22 men were put on trial and held responsible for the creation and administration of the Nazi Party. Out of these, 12 were accused and sentenced to death, 7 were given sentences, and 3 were acquitted. The trials were public throughout the world, although Germans opposed that foreign judges and juries were the ones to try the convicted. The Nuremberg Trials shed light on the German war crimes, the Holocaust, and the violence and brutality that was used throughout the time period. But, not just 22 individuals were tried. After the prominent leaders had been sentenced, the trials continued on to try thousands of others. Strangely enough, in 1946, "6% of Germans said that the nuremberg trials had been unfair", but then in 1950, "1 in 3 said the Nuremberg Trials had been unfair".  [Postwar:a History of Europe since 1945]

    However, for the Allied powers, it was not enough to beseech just the leaders of the Nazi Party. All "elements of national socialism...[had to be] purged from public life". Divided into separate zones, different nations began procedures to question Germans on their personal lives and past histories. Categories to group Germans were created, which included: "major offenders, offenders, lesser offenders, followers, and exonerated persons". Nazis were punished by being "barred" from holding positions in office, or had no choice but to do simple work or manual labor. According to a source, "At the end of 1945, 3.5 million former Nazi's awaited classification, many of them barred from work in the meantime." Obviously, this elaborate classification process did have a toll on the German economy. There was malnutrition, and the lack of leaders and workers in the society made it hard for the nation to create new infrastructure, grow food etc. Indeed, by the beginning of 1947, 90,000 Nazis were in detention and 1.9 million were not allowed to hold any job except in manual labor.  Many of the Americans working for the denazification process were oftentimes GERMAN JEWS, and much of the motivation to do the work was deep rooted in their desire for revenge. This also slowed down the denazification process.

         The lack of efficiency and the sheer number of citizens made complete denazification hard, as vetting each German before they were cleared for working and living normally was a daunting task. Eventually, in light of the Cold War, the denazification process stopped. In the Soviet sector, those with prominent Nazi pasts were purged if they were found to have elaborate connections with the regime. The Allies also used the Nazi name to take away factories or estates from those who they found to be connected with the regime.  Censorship, as well as these background checks were also used to denazify Europe. The US army controlled the German media. The Information Control Division, by July 1946 "had taken control of 37 german newspapers, 6 radio stations, 314 theatres, 642 cinemas, 101 magazines, 237 book publishers, and 7384 book dealers and printers". Most surprising to me, media that boasted Nazi sentiments or ideas was made illegal. A list of over 30,000 books was banned- possessing any would lead to a criminal offense. Many of these books were taken and destroyed. (This kind of reminded me of the Index of Forbidden Books during the papal/clergy time period!) Many claimed that this was "no different than the Nazi book burnings". The physical landscape of Germany was also changed. Streets and signs that flaunted the swastika or Adolf Hitler, or Heinrich Himmler etc. were removed.

     Overall, the post WWII process included a war on an ideology- the denazification process. Literature and books that highlighted its values were destroyed, people were vetted in their own nation, and the remnants of Nazi leadership and Hitler-youth clubs and organizations were promptly removed and condemned.


Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denazification
http://germanculture.com.ua/germany-history/the-nuremberg-trials/