Wolves' Time: Germany and the Germans, 1945–1955

What is it like to live in a country that has suffered a monstrous military and moral defeat?

“Wolf Time” is a panoramic account of the first decade after World War II, when Germany was pulling itself out from under the rubble of the Hitler regime and turning into a modern democracy. The country was divided into occupation zones, cities lay in ruins, and most of the population had no roof over their heads. Everything that had united people before was completely destroyed. Many Germans were in no hurry to admit their guilt for Nazi crimes— for many, the trauma of the postwar years was worse than the war itself. But the devastation, hunger, and necessity to fight for survival did not stop them from falling in love, having fun, and dreaming. It was the time of wolves, when everyone cared only about themselves and their pack—yet it was also a time of inventing new politics, new literature, new art, and a new worldview.

The book by German publicist Harald Jähner, which became a bestseller in Germany and has been translated into six European languages, is a gripping portrait of a society that woke up after catastrophe and managed to find a path into the future.