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Amity, Antagonism and Appeasement: Anglo-German Relations, 1871-1945

Amity, Antagonism and Appeasement

The Modern Records Centre's collections contain sources on Britain's relationship with Germany from c.1914 onwards. Most of the archives focus on the political, economic and diplomatic relationships between the countries, but we also hold some more personal or informal documents.

= This symbol after a link means that it links to catalogue descriptions of the documents (including the reference numbers which will help you to order up the original documents at the MRC).

= This symbol after a link means that it links to digitised copies of the documents.

‘The Rise of the Anglo-German Antagonism’: Relations under Wilhelm II

Overview:

The MRC has only a small amount of (mostly published) material regarding the pre-1914 relationship between Britain and Germany.

Selected sources:

Germany and EnglandLink opens in a new window by Robert Blatchford, [1910]

Pamphlet which reprints a Daily Mail article by the socialist Robert Blatchford, calling for action against the German "menace" against the British Empire.

Armaments and Patriotism: Why and how war scares are madeLink opens in a new window, [1913?]

Daily News & Leader pamphlet on the international arms traffic, armament companies and military expenditure by Germany and Britain.

A reply to "Scaremongerings"Link opens in a new window, [1915]

Article reprinted from The Star, which attacks Lord Northcliffe for issuing a pamphlet entitled 'Scaremongerings from the 'Daily Mail,' 1896-1914' - a selective collection of articles prophesying war with Germany - and for attacking Liberal newspapers for their coverage over the same period. It also accuses Northcliffe of warmongering, Jingoism and belittling the British army in the run up to the First World War.


‘The Crisis of the Anglo-German Antagonism’? The First World War

Overview:

The MRC's sources on the First World War period are limited, and in most cases relate to experiences on the British home front. We do however have a small amount of material on the portrayal of Germany in Britain, the experiences of servicemen, and opposition to the war.

To get a general idea of the type of material that we hold for this period, have a look at our First World War 100 digital collectionLink opens in a new window - 100 digitised documents on the conflict, including material on military service, the home front, pacifism and protest, the role of women, and demobilisation and recovery

Selected collections:

Archives of the National Union of Seamen

During the First World War, the National Sailors and Firemen's Union (later the National Union of Seamen) made strong attacks on both German naval policy (particularly the submarine campaign) and Germans in general.

The SeamanLink opens in a new window, newspaper of the NSFU / NUS, included regular anti-German articles during the First World War

Editions between 1908-1946 have been digitised in full and indexes are included at the beginning of each volume.

File of documents relating to the NSFU's attitudes to Germany, pacificism and reparationsLink opens in a new window, [1910s-1920s]

Includes report of emotional speechesLink opens in a new window made by union officials at the 1917 Trades Union Congress, against proposed peace negotiations with "bloodstained" Germany

Report on International Mercantile Marine Conference held in London in 1917 Link opens in a new window

The conference was held to condemn German actions (particularly over submarine warfare), and the report includes forthright anti-German speeches made by members of the NSFU.

Selected sources:

Daily Citizen Link opens in a new window(headline: 'Can Britain stop Europe's war madness?'), Labour Party newspaper, 1 August 1914

Conscript 'Em!Link opens in a new window, 1916, and Old King CoalitionLink opens in a new window, 1918

Collections of cartoons by Will Dyson, taken from the left-wing newspaper The Herald. Most focus on the home front, including criticisms of 'Prussianism' in Britain. Dyson spent part of the First World War on the Western Front as a war artist.

What the War is teaching John BullLink opens in a new window: cartoons from the Railway Review, 1914-1918

Cartoons taken from the newspaper of the National Union of Railwaymen. They focus on conditions on the home front, but include attacks on profiteers as 'Brit-Huns' - the enemy within

Press cuttings relating to the First World WarLink opens in a new window, 1914-1919

British newspapers on the Armistice, 10-12 November 1918:

Illustrated Sunday HeraldLink opens in a new window (headline: 'The Kaiser abdicates'), 10 Nov 1918

The Daily ChronicleLink opens in a new window (headlines: 'The Armistice' and 'Kaiser abdicates'), 11 Nov 1918

The Daily ChronicleLink opens in a new window (headline: 'End of the Great World War'), 12 Nov 1918

The Daily MirrorLink opens in a new window (headline: 'How London hailed the end of war'), 12 Nov 1918

Letters from John (Jack) YoungLink opens in a new window, British soldier serving with the Australian army

The correspondence includes some references to Young's views on the German management of the war. Two letters have been digitised: 25 April 1917Link opens in a new window and 1 June 1918Link opens in a new window (you can read a typed transcript by choosing the 'text' option)

The suppressed speechLink opens in a new window, made in 1918 and published in c.1934

Text of speech made by Company-Sergeant-Major Franklin, M.C., to the Inns of Court Officers’ Training Corps on 19 July 1918, in which he portrays German soldiers as sub-human and describes the "delightful feeling" of killing them at close quarters with the bayonet.

Letter written by Percy Collick to Gustav Waller, with photograph of WallerLink opens in a new window, 1921

This letter describes a fleeting but memorable encounter between Collick, a British soldier, and Waller, a wounded German prisoner, on the Western Front in 1918.

Newspapers and journals produced by non-mainstream political groups:

FreedomLink opens in a new window, anarchist newspaper, complete run for First World War period

The editions for November 1914Link opens in a new window and March 1916Link opens in a new window have been digitised

The Socialist StandardLink opens in a new window, journal of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, complete run for First World War period

The SpurLink opens in a new window, 1914-1921, anarchist journal edited by a conscientious objector

The edition for December 1917Link opens in a new window has been digitised


Making Peace: Versailles and German Democracy

Overview:

Two distinct views on the post-war reconstruction of Europe can be seen in the archives of the Federation of British Industries (representing the interests of British employers) and the archives of the Trades Union Congress (reflecting the views of the British and international labour movements).

Selected sources:

Peace Treaty RevisionLink opens in a new window, 1918-1925

Trades Union Congress file on the Treaty of Versailles and debates over its revision. Includes material relating to the responses of both the British and broader international labour movement to disarmament and reparations. Several items in the file have been digitised:

British labour and the revision of the Treaty of VersaillesLink opens in a new window, International Federation of Trade Unions press release, [1922?]

Information for meeting of International CommitteeLink opens in a new window, 12 January 1922, submitted by Arthur Pugh following his visit to Germany. Includes copy of appeal to British workers from the Works Council, Deutsche-Werke, Erfurt

Three notable protests against the peace treatyLink opens in a new window, Union of Democratic Control pamphlet, June 1919

War debts tangle. British business men on German reparationsLink opens in a new window: cutting from Daily News, 24 November 1921

Mr McKenna's warning. Reparations the cause of unemploymentLink opens in a new window: cutting from Daily News, 27 October 1921

Understanding with Germany. Mr Churchill on peace in EuropeLink opens in a new window: cutting from The Times, 30 November 1921

Minutes of the Terms of Peace CommitteeLink opens in a new window, December 1918-February 1919

Federation of British Industries minutes, recording views of British business representatives on the proposed payment of indemnities or reparations by Germany and representation of British industry at the peace conference.

Official summary of peace treatyLink opens in a new window, Daily News supplement, 8 May 1919

The British in Germany: Diplomats, Occupiers and Enforcers of the Treaty

and

From the Ruhr Crisis to the ‘Locarno Spirit’: Normalising relations in the mid-1920s

Overview:

MRC sources on the relationship between Britain and Germany during the 1920s relate mostly to trade and economic relations (through the archives of the Federation of British Industries) and to the relationship between sections of the international labour movement (through the archives of the Trades Union Congress and other trade unions).

Selected sources:

GermanyLink opens in a new window - report by Mr Locock, representative of the Federation of British Industries, of a visit to the Occupied Territories, with prospects for trade, 1919

Trades Union Congress file on GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1918-1925

Correspondence file, including letters with General Federation of German Trade Unions. Subjects include the situation in the Saar and Ruhr districts.

Trades Union Congress file on GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1921-1934

File of reports, memoranda, circulars and press-cuttings. Includes some material on the situation in Germany after the invasion of the Ruhr, 1923.

Labour and the RuhrLink opens in a new window, 1923

Report of British Labour delegation appointed by the Parliamentary Labour Party to visit the district.

The Ruhr Link opens in a new windowby Ben Tillett, A. Creech-Jones and Samuel Warren, 1923

Descriptive report by members of a deputation from the Transport and General Workers Union on conditions in the Ruhr and the effects of reparations. It also includes comment on conditions in the British occupied areas of the Rhineland.

Federation of British Industries file on the Anglo-German commercial treatyLink opens in a new window, including notes of meetings with the Board of Trade, 1924

Memorandum and report on the German industrial and economic positionLink opens in a new window, 1926

Report written for the Federation of British Industries following a visit of FBI representatives to Germany. It includes analysis of different aspects of the German economy and industrial production following the severe financial crisis in 1925, and concludes that "the worst is now over".

File relating to discussions between representatives of the Federation of British Industries and the Reichsverband der Deutschen IndustrieLink opens in a new window, 1926-1927


‘Germany Wants to See You’: Travel and Tourism in the 1920s and 30s

Overview:

The Modern Records Centre holds the National Cycle Archive, a collection which includes descriptions and photographs of cycling tours or holidays to Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. Cycling journals in this collection, such as CyclingLink opens in a new window, will include illustrated articles about foreign tours

A small number of additional documents relating to travel and tourism are included in the archives of trade unions (including reports of fraternal delegations between the two countries during the 1920s and early 1930s) and individuals.

Selected sources:

Correspondence to Percy Collick from Berlin-Friedenau and ViennaLink opens in a new window, 1921-[c.1937]

Small file of letters sent to the British trade unionist Percy Collick from Elizabeth, Harry and Nils Grottewitz in Berlin-Friedenau, and Leopold Czerny in Vienna. Collick had met the correspondents whilst visiting Germany and Austria in the early 1920s. Subjects discussed include politics (including 1923 elections in Austria and UK), living conditions in Germany and Austria after the First World War, industrial relations, the international situation, benefits of Esperanto, and the correspondents' personal circumstances.

In a German miner's homeLink opens in a new window, 1921

Pamphlet published by the Independent Labour Party. It contains a personal description by Charles Roden and Dorothy Frances Buxton of their stay with the Heinz family in Essen, including observations on their living conditions, local politics and the effects of the Versailles Treaty on ordinary people.

International trade union and labour footballLink opens in a new window, The Railway Service Journal, September, October and December 1929

Series of illustrated articles in the journal of the Railway Clerks' Association, reporting on a British and Irish football team's tour of Germany organised under the banner of "Sport and Peace versus War".

Correspondence, etc., written by Richard Crossman during visits to Germany in his 20s:

Letters to his parentsLink opens in a new window, 1930-1931

Accounts for German tripLink opens in a new window, c.1930 (included in diary)

Letters to his future wife Zita BakerLink opens in a new window, 1934

'A look at Germany', 1933Link opens in a new window

Travel journal of David Hamilton. It describes his cycling tour of Germany shortly after Hitler came to power, and includes references to the new regime, as well as more general descriptions of scenery and towns.

The visit to Oberammergau and BavariaLink opens in a new window, 1934

Short illustrated articles on a Young Women's Christian Association trip to Germany, partly to see the Oberammergau passion play.

Come to Germany and you will receive a cordial welcomeLink opens in a new window, 1934

Pamphlet which uses the style of a travel brochure to highlight attacks on foreign visitors in Germany in 1933-4. It was produced by the printer of the Trades Union Congress, though the TUC is not explicitly named in the publication.

Description of a fortnight's holiday in Germany under the auspices of the International Summer SchoolsLink opens in a new window, July 1936

The author worked for the left-wing newspaper the Daily Herald and had visited Germany in a personal capacity. The account was sent to the Trades Union Congress to show "how the Nazis seek to influence English students".

German tour, or two cycles in GermanyLink opens in a new window, by J. Fuller, 1938

Typescript description of cycling tour. As well as seeing the sights, the author was briefly arrested for taking photographs in the 'wrong' place.

Two innocents abroadLink opens in a new window: an account of a tour by tandem bicycle in Germany in late May, early June 1938, by Les and Jess Brown

Later typescript description of the couple's first foreign tour. It includes comment on border restrictions, awkwardness when Germans thought that Jess (with short hair and shorts) was male, encounters with members of the Hitler Youth, and problems over taking photographs.

Wandering wheelsLink opens in a new window: photographs taken during a tour of Holland, Germany and Czechoslovakia during the 1930s (Nazi insignia on buildings is visible in some photographs)

Kuklos in GermanyLink opens in a new window: photographs taken during a tour of Germany, probably in 1936


Cultural Links in the 1920s and 30s

Overview:

The MRC's collections include only small amounts of material relating to cultural and sporting relations between Britain and Germany during the inter-war years.

Selected sources:

International trade union and labour footballLink opens in a new window, The Railway Service Journal, April, May, September, October and December 1929

Series of articles in the journal of the Railway Clerks' Association, reporting on a German football tour of Britain and a return tour by a British and Irish football team to Germany, organised under the banner of "Sport and Peace versus War".

Anglo-German football matchLink opens in a new window, 1935

Trades Union Congress file which contains correspondence, reports, press cuttings and other documents relating to the debate over the use of a sporting occasion for political propaganda.

Sport in Nazi GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1935

Trades Union Congress file which contains published material, circulars and extracts from press articles on German sport and the State during the build-up to the Berlin Olympics.

Workers' Theatre Movement bulletins The Red Stage and New Red StageLink opens in a new window, 1931-1932

The Workers' Theatre Movement in Britain took inspiration from Russian and German socialist agit-prop theatre. Copies of several of the WTM publications are included in our online resources for the module on British political theatre, 1930s-1950sLink opens in a new window

Article by Bertolt Brecht on 'The German drama: pre-Hitler', published in the British journal Left ReviewLink opens in a new window, July 1936

Exhibition of Twentieth Century German ArtLink opens in a new window: letter from Irmgard Burchard, Hon. Organiser, with publicity leaflet and card, 9 Jul 1938

Publicity material for London exhibition of the work of artists condemned as 'degenerate' in Germany.


Changing Perceptions of National Socialism, 1929-37

Overview:

Unsurprisingly, as left-wing political opponents and trade unionists were early targets of the National Socialists in Germany, the majority of our archival sources strongly oppose the Nazis from the start. Whilst most sources are hostile, they do however contain differing views on the nature and likely longevity of the Nazi regime.

Selected collections:

The archives of the Trades Union Congress

The Trades Union Congress files on GermanyLink opens in a new window include documents relating to the TUC's own position and correspondence, reports and ephemera from other organisations, both British and German (including exile and emigree groups). As an example, a file on the political situation in c.1933Link opens in a new window includes notes of meetings with a representative of the German Social Democratic Party and the German Ambassador, and documents circulated by the International Federation of Trade Unions, Reichstag Trial Defence and German Delegation Committee, Catholic Social Guild, the editor of the pro-Nazi German newspaper Deutsche Postzeitung, the Labour Party, the National Peace Council, the Labour and Socialist International, and German Relief Committee. The TUC files during this period include two on proposals for a British boycott of German goodsLink opens in a new window and four on the activities of the World and British Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi CouncilLink opens in a new window. A series of files on the broader issue of fascism and dictatorshipLink opens in a new window (particularly in Britain, Italy and Germany) are also available.

The archives of Richard Crossman

Richard Crossman made two sets of broadcasts on political and social conditions in Nazi Germany for the BBC - one series in 1934, whilst he was actually in Germany, and another in 1939-1942, whilst working for the Political Warfare Executive (i.e psychological warfare) during the Second World War. Some themes are revisited in both sets of broadcasts, including the Night of the Long Knives, which occured whilst Crossman was in Germany. Transcripts of the radio broadcasts are available onlineLink opens in a new window.

Letters to Richard Crossman's future wife Zita BakerLink opens in a new window, written whilst in Germany in 1934, are also included in the archive

Selected sources:

Message of German socialists to meeting of Trade Union Delegates in ManchesterLink opens in a new window, November 1933

The message warns British trade unionists of the dangers of fascism and comments on the rise of the National Socialists and the current conditions in Germany.

Labour's national protest against the menace to freedomLink opens in a new window, 1933

Souvenir programme for event at the Royal Albert Hall.

The terror in Germany: Now as bad as in the early days of Nazi dictatorshipLink opens in a new window, 7 May 1935

Press cutting from the Manchester Guardian.

Why the boycott of Nazi Germany?Link opens in a new window, [1935?]

Pamphlet issued by the British Section of the World Non-Sectarian Ant-Nazi Council to Champion Human Rights.

Boycott German goodsLink opens in a new window, undated [mid 1930s]

Leaflet issued by the National Council of Labour (i.e. the Labour Party and Trades Union Congress).

The Women Shoppers' LeagueLink opens in a new window, undated [1936?]

Leaflet calling for a boycott of German goods.

Unchanging GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1936

Pamphlet by Captain A.H. Henderson-Livesey. It takes the view later popularised by Vansittart - that Hitler and military aggression were a reflection of the German 'character'.

Memorandum on Anglo-German discussion groupsLink opens in a new window, 1938

It includes information about group visits to Germany to enquire "into the fundamental principles underlying the National Socialist Revolution in Germany", and was circulated by Amy Buller, Warden of the University of Liverpool, one of the group organisers.


Appeasement

Overview:

Collections at the MRC contain a range of views on appeasement, including archives relating to attempts to influence the British government through an appeal for intervention by one of Hitler's German opponents, the support of a committed pacifist to the policy of appeasement, and documents relating to the organisation of protests against the Munich Agreement.

This 'ready-made' search of the MRC catalogueLink opens in a new window links to descriptions of more than 70 documents on appeasement, the Munich Agreement, and British responses to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Selected collections:

The archives of Arthur Primrose Young

A.P. Young, a works manager at British Thomson-Houston in Rugby, met with Dr Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, former Mayor of Leipzig, and a conservative opponent of the Nazis (aka 'X'), in 1938-9. The 'X' DocumentsLink opens in a new window , which Young produced as a result of his discussions with Goerdeler, called for determined and decisive action by Britain, but did not make headway at the highest levels in 1938-9. Goerdeler was executed in 1945 for his role in the 1944 bomb plot against Hitler.

Some of Young's "notes of a conversation with 'X'" have been digitisedLink opens in a new window

Young's papers also include ephemera relating to the Hundred Thousand MovementLink opens in a new window, c.1939, an anti-appeasement pressure group.

The archives of the Trades Union Congress

The TUC archives include a series of files relating to CzechoslovakiaLink opens in a new window, including files on the international situation around the time of the Munich Agreement (including pamphlets which outline the Labour Party's response), organisation of a public protest meeting against appeasement following the Munich Agreement, and the reception of refugees in Britain.

The collection also includes material relating to earlier anti-appeasement / anti-Nazi protests, including a file on arrangements for a 1936 rally in defence of freedom and peaceLink opens in a new window, and files on the World and British Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi CouncilLink opens in a new window (including notes of a private meeting with Churchill in 1936).

The archives of Marjory Allen, Lady Allen of Hurtwood

Marjory Allen was a landscape architect, campaigner for pre-school education and promoter of child welfare. Lady Allen's archives include material relating to her husband's championing of appeasement with Germany during the 1930s. Clifford Allen condemned Nazi brutality and anti-semitism, but opposed military action due to his strong pacifist beliefs (he was three times imprisoned as a conscientious objector during the First World War).

The archives include a series of press cuttings albums from the 1930sLink opens in a new window, including reports of Allen's meeting with Hitler and failed attempt to intercede to save the life of Hans Litten, a prominent opponent of the Nazi regime

The collection also includes a series of press photosLink opens in a new window which show Berlin decorated for the Olympic games and a Nazi parade through the streets of Nuremburg

Selected sources:

Protest against the meeting of George Lansbury with HitlerLink opens in a new window, issued by the leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Apr 1937

Hitler's friends in Britain: Sidelights on the Cliveden SetLink opens in a new window, Communist Party pamphlet, 1938

Straight TalkLink opens in a new window, no.47, "conducted by Peter F. Somerville", on Germany and Czechoslovakia (includes observations made on visit to Germany), 7 September 1938

International Peace Campaign News LetterLink opens in a new window, no.13, on Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement, 21 September 1938

Chamberlain the Peace MakerLink opens in a new window, leaflet advertising a film reel about the Munich negotiations, 1938

The facts: Czechoslovakia's martyrdomLink opens in a new window, European Association and the League of Nations Union leaflet on the Munich Agreement, 1938

British labour's "message to German people"Link opens in a new window, Voluntary Industrial Aid for Spain leaflet, including reproduction of article from the Manchester Guardian, 1938

The full facts of the Czech crisisLink opens in a new window, Labour Party pamphlet on Czechoslovakia and the Munich Agreement, November 1938


The Parting of the Ways? The Second World War

Overview:

The majority of Second World War material in the MRC's collections relates to the British home front. We do however have some sources on German refugees and exiled political groups in Britain, and the wartime debates on the "German question" (i.e. was Germany inherently aggressive?) and how the country should be treated once the war was over.

Selected sources:

Germans in Britain: Internment and refugees

Two Trades Union Congress files on "Aliens and internment"Link opens in a new window, including ephemera and correspondence (some relating to individual cases), 1940-1943

A leaflet, 'Anti-fascist refugees interned'Link opens in a new window, and a self-published pamphletLink opens in a new window by Louis Eleazar Gutmann-Pelangen, on his own experiences of internment and the case of the Arandora Star, have been digitised

The TUC archive contains many more files on refugees during the Second World WarLink opens in a new window, including files on the Co-ordinating Committee for Refugees, 1938-1940, and Central Committee for Refugees, 1940-1949, and documents relating to individual cases

Records concerning application for release of Minna SpechtLink opens in a new window, educator and socialist, from internment, 1940

The internment and treatment of aliensLink opens in a new window, speakers' notes from the National Council for Civil Liberties, May 1941

Illustrated almanacLink opens in a new window, produced by inmates of Hutchinson Internment Camp, Douglas, Isle of Man, 1941

The refugees and industryLink opens in a new window, leaflet from the Christian Council for Refugees from Germany and Central Europe, July 1941

The refugees: Some facts and figuresLink opens in a new window, pamphlet, Apr 1945

Germans in Britain: Political groups in exile

Free German MovementLink opens in a new window, file on the exile group from the archives of the Trades Union Congress, 1941-1945

Free German MovementLink opens in a new window, file on the exile group from the archives of Victor Gollancz, 1944

Free German Trade Union GroupLink opens in a new window, file on the exile group from the archives of the Trades Union Congress, 1939-1945

Social Democratic PartyLink opens in a new window, file on German Social Democrats in Britain from the archives of the Trades Union Congress, 1939-1942

'Vansittartism':

Sir Robert Vansittart took a strong anti-German line, arguing that Hitler was a reflection of the inherent aggression of Germans as a whole. The MRC holds several publications relating to the wartime argument over 'Vansittartism', together with some ephemera from groups which promoted 'Vansittartism' or held similar anti-German views.

Trades Union Congress file on the post-war treatment of GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1939-1946, including text of speech by Eleonora Tennant on Lord Vansittart (arguing that not only was Vansittart not sufficiently anti-German, he was actually a German spy), and documents from and about the 'Never Again' and 'Face the Facts' Associations, including leaflets which summarise their aims and objectives.

Three 'Face the Facts' Association leafletsLink opens in a new window, 1943-1944, have been digitised

Fight For FreedomLink opens in a new window, 1942-1943, circulars from the pro-Vansittart group, including copies of several speeches by Vansittart

Fight for FreedomLink opens in a new window, 1942-1944, circulars, ephemera, etc., from the pro-Vansittart group

Sir Robert Vansittart, Black record: Germans past and presentLink opens in a new window, Sep 1941

Heinrich Fraenkel, Vansittart's gift for Goebbels: A German exile's answer to Black RecordLink opens in a new window, Jun 1941

Harold J. Laski, The Germans - are they human? A reply to Sir Robert VansittartLink opens in a new window, 1941

Parliamentary Peace Aims Group, Germany's record: A reply to Lord VansittartLink opens in a new window, undated [post 1941]

Douglas Brown, Commonsense versus VansittartismLink opens in a new window, 1943

Manifesto Against race hatred and for a socialist peaceLink opens in a new window, Undated [1941-1945]

Victor Gollancz, Shall our children live or die? A reply to Lord Vansittart on the German problemLink opens in a new window, 1942

Curt Geyer and Walter Loeb, Gollancz in German wonderlandLink opens in a new window (response to 'Shall our children live or die?'), 1942

Ourselves and the German peopleLink opens in a new window, information sheet compiled by the Young Women's Christian Association, Apr 1942

What about Germany? An outline for discussion groupsLink opens in a new window, National Peace Council pamphlet on "the German question", 1944

Press cuttings relating to GermanyLink opens in a new window


Anglo-German Relations since World War II

Overview:

Archives at the MRC include material relating to the Allied occupation of Germany (particularly in the British zone), the Allied policy of denazification, a British campaigner's response to post-war conditions in Germany, post-war trade and economic relations, and the relationship between the organised labour movements of Britain and (mostly) West Germany.

Selected collections:

The archives of Richard Crossman

Richard Crossman returned to Germany, a country he had visited during the 1920s and 1930s, with the Psychological Warfare Division of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force in 1944-1945. His archives include documents about the work of the Psychological Warfare DivisionLink opens in a new window during the early period of the Allied occupation of Germany, including reports of interviews with / interrogations of Germans, reports on journeys by PWD officers within occupied Germany, and the results of a February 1945 opinion poll amongst German prisoners of war on 'Expectations of Anglo-American occupation of Germany'

Crossman's archives also include a diary kept during May 1945Link opens in a new window, whilst in Germany, including Crossman's comments on his return to Frankfurt, a city he had lived in during 1930, observations on meetings with German civilians, and a description of Dachau concentration camp, shortly after liberation

The archives of Victor Gollancz, publisher

Gollancz was a leading British advocate of reconciliation with Germany after the Second World War. His archives include:

An extensive series of correspondence files relating to GermanyLink opens in a new window, particularly during the 1940s and 1950s, including a file of letters from correspondentsLink opens in a new window who objected to his pro-German views, 1946-1949

Documents relating to Gollancz's visit to Germany in 1946, including:

Correspondence, reports and memorandaLink opens in a new window on the administration of the British zone, the conditions in which German civilians were living, public opinion, and attempts at denazification . Five documents from these files have been digitisedLink opens in a new window

Diaries of the visitLink opens in a new window

Photographs of civilians, bombed cities, etcLink opens in a new window.

Copies of the book In Darkest GermanyLink opens in a new window, written as a result of Gollancz's visit, are held by the University Library

Documents relating to the Save Europe Now groupLink opens in a new window, an organisation which opposed punitive measures against Germany

The archives of the Trades Union Congress

The TUC archives include files relating to Germany and Anglo-German relations during the immediate post-war period. These include:

Three files relating to the administration of Wilton Park Training CentreLink opens in a new window, Buckinghamshire, used as a centre for denazification or re-education of German prisoners of war between 1946-1948

Two documents have been digitised:

Translation of address by Major-General Strong ... to German prisoners of warLink opens in a new window, Jan 1946

Leaflet reproducing an article from the Evening Standard on denazification at Wilton ParkLink opens in a new window, 18 Mar 1946

A file on dismantling of German factoriesLink opens in a new window, particularly iron and steel works, 1948-1950

A file on political and economic conditionsLink opens in a new window, 1945-1952

A file on social conditionsLink opens in a new window, 1945-1953

Two files on the employment of German scientists by the British governmentLink opens in a new window, as part of arrangements for reparations, 1946-1949

File on the National Council of Labour Delegation to the British Zone in GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1946

Correspondence and reports on trade union delegations to GermanyLink opens in a new window, 1945-1952

The archives of the Federation of British Industries

The FBI archives include documents relating to economic relations with Germany, including the debates over reparations and post-war trade. These include:

A file on the FBI German Reparations Committee, German trade and industry and the Potsdam ConferenceLink opens in a new window, 1945-1947

A file on German reparationsLink opens in a new window, 1945-1948

Minutes, etc., relating to the FBI Overseas Policy Committee, German sub-committee and later, German panelLink opens in a new window, 1948-1950

Some additional sources:

Photocopy of the diary of Brigadier John BarracloughLink opens in a new window, Military Governor, North Rhine Province, Control Commission for Germany (British Element), 1945-1947