The British Army of the Rhine: Turning Nazi Enemies into Cold War Partners : WestminsterResearch

Publication dates
Title	The British Army of the Rhine: Turning Nazi Enemies into Cold War Partners
Authors	Speiser, P.
Abstract	Between 1945 and 1957, West Germany made a dizzying pivot from Nazi bastion to Britain's Cold War ally against the Soviet Union. Successive London governments, though faced with bitter public and military opposition, tasked the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) to serve as a protecting force while strengthening West German integration into the Western defense structure. Peter Speiser charts the BAOR's fraught transformation from occupier to ally by looking at the charged nexus where British troops and their families interacted with Germany's civilian population. Examining the relationship on many levels, Speiser ranges from how British mass media representations of Germany influenced BAOR troops to initiatives taken by the Army to improve relations. He also weighs German perceptions, surveying clashes between soldiers and civilians and comparing the popularity of the British services with that of the other occupying powers. As Speiser shows, the BAOR's presence did not improve the relationship between British servicemen and the German populace, but it did prevent further deterioration during a crucial and dangerous period of the early Cold War. An incisive look at an under-researched episode, The British Army of the Rhine sheds new light on Anglo-German diplomatic, political, and social relations after 1945, and evaluates their impact on the wider context of European integration in the postwar era.
Keywords	British Army, Occupation, Anglo-German relations
Year	2016
Publisher	University of Illinois Press
Published	30 May 2016
Place of publication	Champaign, IL
ISBN	9780252040160

Related outputs

''Panzers Weclome?' Britische Reaktionen auf die Schiessuebungen der Bundeswehr in Wales 1961'
Speiser, P. 2022. ''Panzers Weclome?' Britische Reaktionen auf die Schiessuebungen der Bundeswehr in Wales 1961'. in: Echternkamp, J. and Nübel, C. (ed.) Deutsche Militärgeschichte in Europa 1945-1990: Repräsentation, Organisation und Tradition von Streitkräften in Demokratie und Diktatur Christoph Links Verlag.

„Panzers welcome?“ Britische Reaktionen auf die Schießübungen der Bundeswehr in Wales 1961 Peter Speiser
Speiser, P. 2022. „Panzers welcome?“ Britische Reaktionen auf die Schießübungen der Bundeswehr in Wales 1961 Peter Speiser. in: Echternkamp, J. and Nübel, C. (ed.) Deutsche Militärgeschichte in Europa 1945 bis 1990. Repräsentation, Organisation und Tradition von Streitkräften in Demokratie und Diktatur. Im Auftrag des Zentrums für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr Berlin, Germany Zentrum für Militärgeschichte und Sozialwissenschaften der Bundeswehr.

Obstacles to Rapprochement
Speiser, P. 2019. Obstacles to Rapprochement. in: Fäßler, P.E., Neuwöhner, A. and Staffel, F. (ed.) Briten in Westfalen 1945-2017: Besatzer, Verbündete, Freunde? Ferdinand Schöningh. pp. 238-252

'Botschafter in Uniform? Die Beziehungen der Britischen Rheinarmee zur deutschen Zivilbevölkerung 1948–1957
Speiser, P. 2018. 'Botschafter in Uniform? Die Beziehungen der Britischen Rheinarmee zur deutschen Zivilbevölkerung 1948–1957. in: Geschichte im Westen 33/2018 Klartext-Verlag Essen.

Botschafter in Uniform? Die Beziehungen der Britischen Rheinarmee zur Deutschen Zivilbevölkerung 1948-1957
Speiser, P. 2018. Botschafter in Uniform? Die Beziehungen der Britischen Rheinarmee zur Deutschen Zivilbevölkerung 1948-1957. Jahrestagung des Brauweiler Kreises. Vogelsang 08 - 09 Mar 2018 Klartext-Verlag Essen.

The British Army of the Rhine and the Germans in Westphalia (1948-1957): Obstacles to Rapprochement
Speiser, P. 2018. The British Army of the Rhine and the Germans in Westphalia (1948-1957): Obstacles to Rapprochement. Briten in Westfalen. Paderborn, Germany 09 - 11 Mar 2017 Schoeningh.

Soho: The Heart of Bohemian London
Speiser, P. 2017. Soho: The Heart of Bohemian London. British Library.

Soho: The Heart of Bohemian London
Speiser, P. 2017. Soho: The Heart of Bohemian London. London British Library Publishing.

The British Army of the Rhine: Turning Nazi Enemies into Cold War Partners
Speiser, P. 2016. The British Army of the Rhine: Turning Nazi Enemies into Cold War Partners. University of Illinois Press.

The British army of the Rhine and the Germans (1948-1957): from enemies to partners
Speiser, P. 2012. The British army of the Rhine and the Germans (1948-1957): from enemies to partners. PhD thesis University of Westminster School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages https://doi.org/10.34737/8z2z2

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/9qzv5/the-british-army-of-the-rhine-turning-nazi-enemies-into-cold-war-partners

The British Army of the Rhine: Turning Nazi Enemies into Cold War Partners

Related outputs

Share this

Usage statistics

Export as