The French in Germany

The history of the French zone has, for the most part, been written by its critics. any nation that undergoes occupation by the military forces of an alien power is bound to feel that it is being exploited for the benefit of that power, and the natural resentment of the Germans at finding themselves at the mercy of their conquerors was magnified by the economic hardship produced by the unparalleled destruction of the Second World War. All the criticism was not, however, restricted to the occupied. the military government of the French zone was, indeed, more sharply criticized by groups in France than by the Germans themselves. This study attempts not only to assess the truth in the negative criticisms but also to find those positive aspects of occupation policy which made possible better relations between the two countries.