Der mythos vom "Wohlleben". Der lebensstandard der Deutschen zivilbevölkerung im zweiten weltkrieg

Abstract

The article tackles with an especially explosive topic which has been widely contested for a long time and has once again been taken up intensely during the last few years. Hans-Ulrich Wehler and Götz Aly in particular provoked the discussion with their pointed theses about the "Good Life" of the Germans during the Third Reich. Buchheim first reports on the current state of research and then presents his new sources before describing the rationing system introduced in 1939 and finally analysing the allocation of foodstuffs. He never just makes general statements: He covers the allocation of individual foodstuffs and takes individual social groups into account chronologically until 1945. The result is unambiguous: The standard of living of the Germans was already relatively frugal at the beginning of the War and continued to worsen as of 1942/43 before reaching a nadir in 1945. While keeping a differentiated view of everyday reality, the situation regarding the provisioning with consumer goods can be characterised as leaving a great deal to be desired as well - sometimes it was even more dismal than that regarding food. Only a small upper class among the party, state and economic elites enjoyed the "Good Life" despite the surrounding catastrophe. © Oldenbourg 2010.