Winning the Peace

Reviews / Votes

Christopher Knowles has written a compelling, perceptive, and analytically rigorous monograph ... His book is a welcome contribution to a fast-evolving literature. * Journal of Modern History * [An] informative and well-written account of the transition from war to peace and the British occupation policies in Germany which sheds light on agency and the motives and attitudes of key individuals ... Knowles interprets the occupation period as a complex and multifaceted process and adds valuable aspects to existing explanations. * Cercles * This is a valuable contribution to any reading list devoted to this phase of British-German history or to the study of military occupation. * Journal of British Studies * [This] persuasive monograph will be essential reading for anyone interested in the subject. * German History * A knowledgeable and very well-written book, which fosters detailed research ... [and] provides a good overview of the structures, background and developments of the early British occupation. * H-Soz-Kult (Bloomsbury translation) * Approaching the British occupation regime in Germany through a range of biographies sheds a new light on the occupation regime itself. The book is particularly strong in reconstructing the mental worlds of military governors, civilian administrators and diplomats as well as younger military officers. Making good use of diverse generational experiences, Christopher Knowles argues convincingly that the positive contribution of these people to the remaking of Germany after the Second World War should be recognised. * Stefan Berger, Director of the Institute for Social Movements and Chairman of the committee of the History of the Ruhr Foundation, Bochum, Germany * Chris Knowles' multi-layered appraisal of the aims, intentions and achievements of the British occupation of Germany through his examination of the diverse views and experiences of a sample of British generals, civilian administrators and young junior military government officers not only uniquely exposes and deconstructs the constraints on the occupiers and their potential for agency but also makes a significant contribution to the new field of occupation studies. * Rebecca Boehling, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, USA * Christopher Knowles' Winning the Peace is a significant contribution to the history of the British occupation in Germany after 1945. Investigating the collective biography of twelve officers it considerably extends our knowledge of the British policies by highlighting the wide variety of often conflicting ideas and strategies within the military and civil administration of Germany. * Michael Schaich, Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the German Historical Institute London, UK * [T]his book is invaluable reading for anyone wishing to study the British zone of occupation in Germany - a category, it is hoped, that will soon rival the already burgeoning literature on the US zone of Germany. * European Review of History *