1949 is the year that the two German states were founded and the second democracy on German territory was established. In a knowledgeable and entertaining fashion, Christian Bommarius tells the story of the long year of 1949, which already started in 1948 when the Federal Republic of Germany’s course was set by the currency reform and the mandate to establish a constitution. Bommarius describes central and marginal episodes from the fields of politics, economics, culture and daily life. His book is a colourful insight into the early days of the German Federal Republic and harbours a most contemporary message: democratic thinking and actions always have to be lived out against resistance, back then as today.
