Karl Schlögel, ed. Russian-German Special Relations in the Twentieth Century: A Closed Chapter? Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2006. xi + 222 pp. $99.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-84520-177-7.
Reviewed by Vasilis Vourkoutiotis (Department of History, University of Ottawa)
Published on H-German (September, 2007)
Vladimir Putin is not the only Russian with an affinity for Germans. In an interesting scene in the Russian popular film, Brat (Brother), the young protagonist asks an elderly St. Petersburg homeless man with a German-sounding name if he is German or Jewish. The reason for his inquiry, loosely translated, is: "I don't like Jews; Germans are all right." Given the often bloody history of these countries in the twentieth century, this quip may strike foreign viewers as an obvious attempt at irony. At one level, they may be right; but at another level, it is a perfectly honest reply: many Russians, from the president on down, and even in the triumphant celebrations surrounding each May ninth, do not seem to hold very deep grudges against the current generation of Germans. On the contrary, while never forgetting to celebrate the anniversary of German defeat in Europe, Russians rather seem to like Germans. If "special" can be taken to mean "unusual," then the title of the volume currently under review is truly apt.
Timothy Garton Ash and Gerhard A. Ritter, the editors of the German Historical Perspectives series, inform the reader in their preface that the series (drawn from lectures delivered by visitors to St. Antony's College, Oxford) aims to present the results of research by German historians and social scientists to readers in English-speaking countries. This volume aims to explore and place into perspective several aspects of the turbulent twentieth century, but not to provide a complete history of bilateral relations. Rather, specialists were invited to contribute on subjects that highlight certain aspects of these relations. As editor Karl Schlögel notes in his introduction, the book reminds us that the German-Russian relationship was dynamic, and not always confrontational. It presumes a certain level of knowledge on the reader's part, but for those with some basic knowledge (upper-year or graduate students, informed general readers, or specialists), the case studies prove illuminating in exploring German-Russian relations.
As with any collaborative effort, some contributions stand out as more interesting than others. Eleven articles in total are contributed by some authors whose work has already been translated into English, and by others for whom translations of their work is long overdue. Translations from the German sometimes echo the original in terms of formalistic style and word choice, but still appear to convey the authors' intentions effectively into fluent English. Some articles were written by their authors in English; parts may strike native speakers as stilted in tone and presentation, making one occasionally wish that they had been left in German and then handed to professional translators to render into English. The editing is clear, although occasional glitches are distracting. The level of scholarship throughout the articles remains high.
One major concern of the essays is the theme of cultural and ethnic exchanges between the two countries. Dittmar Dahlmann's "Before the Great War: German Entrepreneurs in Russia--Russian Scholars in Germany: Two Types of Russian-German Relations in the Decades before the First World War," aims to demonstrate the level of exchange between the two countries in the years of peace that marked the start of the twentieth century. Although the aim of using ethnic German merchant families in Russia to highlight the community's entrenchment in Russian society is laudable, Dahlmann's presentation of the Knoop clan is focused so tightly that it reads at times like a family-commissioned history of their forebears. Useful mentions of the wider émigré society in which they lived do, however, offer a feel for how financially successful Germans lived. The second part of the chapter, on the Russian presence (often organized in clubs) in German universities is more balanced and effectively demonstrates the importance of German education for Russians who were able to take advantage of it.
Also treating the matter of cultural cross-fertilization, "Thomas Mann and Others: Russophilism and Sovietophilia Among German Conservatives," by Gerd Koenen, takes the reader into an interesting corner of German literary history. The article is a short, well-written, intriguing introduction to the political dimension of the postwar German literary scene. The absence of suggested readings or even footnotes, however, limits its utility as a gateway into German scholarship. Given the current availability of Russian-language local newspapers in kiosks in the Berlin subway system, it is clear that the city continues to occupy a special place for Russians abroad. Schlögel, in "Berlin: 'Stepmother' among Russian Cities," demonstrates the even greater extent of this role in the interwar years, when émigré White Russians officers, economic refugees from the Soviet experiment, and Soviet agitators themselves mingled in the city. The article is one of the strongest in this volume. It presents a clear history of the various factions in the city, but also keeps in mind the objective of the series as a whole, and directs readers to the most important literature published in both German and Russian.
Another prominent theme of the collection is the experience of war and exile. "German Emigrants in Soviet Exile: A Drama in Five Acts," by Carola Tischler, takes the reader into the other camp, and looks at the plight of Germans in Soviet Russia from after the First World War (the first "act") through the years of the Second World War (the fifth "act" in the drama). The chapter deals with all aspects of Germans living in the Soviet Union, from those who came via the Comintern to the Volga Germans expelled by Stalin. It captures the balancing act faced by the regime's ideological fellow travelers, who suddenly found themselves regarded as the enemy, as well as treating the confusion during the war years of refugees whose families had been there for generations. This work will serve a wide range of interested readers. Viktor Krieger's well-written "Patriots or Traitors?--The Soviet Government and the 'German Russians' after the Attack on the USSR by National Socialist Germany," offers a more in-depth examination of the plight of the Volga Germans. Although their banishment as state enemies to the freezing reaches of the Soviet Union by Stalin is not unknown, Krieger describes in some detail the mechanisms by which the policy was carried out.
The inevitable topic of interwar military collaboration between the two countries is treated by Manfred Zeidler, whose work will be familiar to specialists in this area. His "The Strange Allies--Red Army and Reichswehr in the Inter-war Period" provides a chapter-length summary of his lengthier work. Turning to war and its connection to memory, in "Facing the Ostfront: The Other War in German Memory," Peter Jahn reflects upon the experience of the Eastern Front in West German popular memory. In doing so, he traces the main trends as reflected in literature and film, as well as scholarly research. Despite the lack of scholarly apparatus, his role as director of the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst means his opinions hold weight, and he does not shy from critically commenting on the way that the Holocaust has overshadowed in public memory the other crimes committed by German invaders of the Soviet Union.
Finally, Elke Scherstjanoi turns to the experience of war itself, in "'Vot ona prokliataia Germaniia!' Germany in Early 1945 through the Eyes of Red Army Soldiers" (the quotation translates to "There it is, cursed Germany"). Much has been written on the violent rampage of Red Army soldiers as they marched through German territory to Berlin, but few studies have attempted to understand what these soldiers saw and felt along the way. Scherstjanoi analyzed approximately three hundred letters sent home by Soviet soldiers in the spring of 1945, in an attempt to ascertain their perceptions and images of Germany. Many qualifications must be made as to what can and cannot be said based on this type of evidence, and Scherstjanoi does not shy away from placing limits on her readings without being hampered in presenting a very interesting view of the scene. Red Army soldiers were kind to small children, and often expressed contempt at the bourgeois country they encountered, whose innate corruption had launched the war in the first place. Little mention was made in letters home of the darker side of the Red Army occupation (rape and pillaging), though a certain ferocity and desire to pay back the Germans for what had been done in the East nonetheless comes through. Her serious work of social history complements other views and adds nuance to debates surrounding the Red Army's often barbarous treatment of the German civilian population.
"Supervision and Abdication--East German Intellectual Life under Soviet Tutelage," by Jens Reich, is perhaps the odd article out in this collection. It is less a scholarly examination of East German intellectual life, than a collection of personal reminiscences. And yet it is, in my opinion, perhaps the most engaging article in the book. Elegiac without being sentimental, Reich (a professor of molecular biology at Humboldt University) traces his own life and career, in demonstrating the path followed by a member of the intellectual elite through both the years of Soviet domination (or "tutelage") in the GDR, through the transition and merger with West Germany. He comments not only upon fellow East Germans, but also brings to light the fates of his friends in various branches of the Soviet intellectual and academic establishment. The result is a thoroughly captivating essay. Despite the fact that it will not lead the reader any further in terms of sources or comparative studies, it deserves to be read for the personal human dimension it brings to the other histories in the volume. It also contains some lively, uninhibited prose: "We [German academics visiting Soviet/Russian institutions] could live with them [ethnic Jews in Russia] completely at ease, without boot-licking philo-Semitism or deploring anti-Semitism, without this permanent mutual mistrust against exaggerated esteem that nowadays (after the Nazi crimes) makes the mutual attitude of Germans and Jews (Israelis) so stiff and inhibited" (p. 197).
Klaus Segbers's "German-Russian Relations in the Early Twenty-first Century: Some Reflections on Normalcy" rounds out the contributions. His contribution is a contemporary social scientist's examination of the current state of bilateral relations, placing them firmly in the context of Germany's rootedness in the European Union context, but relying primarily on his own opinions and not referring to scholarly work on the topic. The organization of Segbers' prose often approaches that of a professor's lectures to naïve undergraduates, which may be off-putting for some readers. The eventual forecast is for "if not harmonious, then at least conflict-free bilateral relations," after which Segbers then offers policy recommendations (p. 214). Segbers convincingly demonstrates that Germany is firmly wedded, institutionally as well as in terms of political temperament, to an EU model of behavior, and thus will not be acting independently of its European partners toward Russia again.
The book's omission of the uniform provision of footnotes or at least annotated bibliography was perhaps an editorial oversight. This inconsistency will be significant for readers hoping to read the book as a springboard into the historiography, but less problematic for readers interested in tasting the flavor of the themes covered and learning what German scholars are thinking. On the whole, the book will be of use to both students and members of the Anglophone audience without access to German- and Russian-language scholarship.
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Citation:
Vasilis Vourkoutiotis. Review of Schlögel, Karl, ed., Russian-German Special Relations in the Twentieth Century: A Closed Chapter?.
H-German, H-Net Reviews.
September, 2007.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=13628
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