Figure 1.--

The 1940s were not a happy decade for German and this was reflected in Christmas celebrations. The first half of the decade w were the War years. The War at first did not have a massive impact on the German family. And as a result of the short, successful campaigns in 1939 and 40, many servicemen wre able to get home for Christmas, And the ability to loot the economies of occupied Poland and Westen Europemeant that consumer goods were available for Christmas presents. This included both clothes and toys. We note two unidentified brothers who were smartly dressed for a Christmas portrait in 1942. This began to change in Germany as a result of the disaster in the Soviet Union (December 1941). This meant that many sons and fathers were not hime for Christmas for the first time. Hitler approved policies which attempted to supply food and consumer goods to maintain morale. Reverses in the East and then the West as well forced increased rationing. And casualties began to reach substantial levels. Further problens were created by the Allied stratehic bombing campaigns. Thus Christmas for the Germans got more and moregrim as the war progressed. The second half of the 1940s were the very difficult post-War years. Many fathers ad sons were killed, injured, or in POW camps. Even if the male family members survived the War, conditions were very difficult and jobs almost impossible to get. This did not begin to change until the currency reform and Marshall Plan launched the German Economic Miracle (1948). German was transformed on just a few short years. Mayh viewing the country's cities reduced to rubble belived tht it would take a generation for the country to recover. The forces of free market capitalism ceated a new Germny very quickly, at lest in the West. Here we see an affluent family Christmas. A dealer suggested it was taken in 1949. We might guess rgat it was taken in the the very eealy-50s, but 1949 is certainly possible. East Germany burdened by Communism would be a very different story. The German Communiat Party was very popilar in Germany before Hitler seized power. The power of capitalism and Sivier bruytality chnged minds in West Germany, even amog wirkers. The experienc of Germanns in the East alsi changed minds and Germans beganb fleeing to the West. Est German was in the grips of Stalinist control in the second half of the 1940s. Abd if there was one place yht stalin was not prepared to permi ant duscent in was in sector of Germany.

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Created: 4:22 AM 7/21/2022
Last updated: 4:22 AM 7/21/2022