32407

SoSe 14: German-American Elite Networking during the Cold War

Anne Zetsche

Kommentar

In this Vertiefungsseminar students will study West German-American post-war relations up to the mid-1970s. The United States and Germany are linked by curious turns of history in the course of the 20th century. They faced each other twice as enemies in the world wars. Despite the strong record of hostility and the atrocities of the Nazi Regime in particular, West Germany became one of the most important partners of the U.S. in Europe during the cold war. This seminar will question what most contemporary observers take for granted: the reasons behind the development of amicable relations and indeed West German-American friendship within a surprisingly short time after WW II. Which institutions, organizations and social actors were critical to fostering and developing the postwar relations of the two former enemies in wartime? What role did transatlantic elite networks in particular play in this process of rapprochement? In this seminar students will study two private organizations active in the realm of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the Federal Republic of Germany: the Atlantik-Brücke and the American Council on Germany (ACG). The focus on two private organizations and their public private networks involved will serve to open the black box of public diplomacy and help to display the wider spectrum of bilateral relations between the two countries. The seminar also aims at familiarizing students with concepts of public/cultural diplomacy and concepts and theories of elite/ establishment, and state-private network.
Schließen

Literaturhinweise

Introductory literature:
Aguilar, Manuela. Cultural Diplomacy and Foreign Policy: German-American Relations, 1955-1968, Studies in Modern European History. New York: Peter Lang, 1996.
Junker, Detlef. "Politik, Sicherheit, Wirtschaft, Kultur und Gesellschaft: Dimensionen transatlantischer Beziehungen" In Die USA und Deutschland im Zeitalter des Kalten Krieges, 1945-1990. Ein Handbuch, edited by Detlef Junker et al., 17-56. Stuttgart, München: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, 2001. Schließen

14 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Mi, 12:00 - 14:00 14 Termine

Mi, 16.04.2014 12:00 - 14:00

Dozenten:
Anne Zetsche