Abstract

This short clip is taken from a British documentary titled A Defeated People, which was shot in the British occupation zone in 1945/1946. It was produced by an organization within the British Ministry of Information that was tasked with making short information films and documentaries for the general public in Britain and other English-speaking countries. Depicting the state of Germany and its people after its defeat in the Second World War, the film documents the measures taken by the occupation forces to rebuild the country and outlines the work that lies ahead for the German population if it is to rejoin the international community.

Rebuilding Public Life in the British Occupation Zone (1946)

Source

/...But in all this, we have to safeguard ourselves. First of all, from crime and disorder. So, military government courts are set up with British judges. These courts are public, there is an interpreter, a German defense counsel, and a British prosecutor.
/Then, the German police force is being remade. The new German policeman has to understand that he is the servant of the public and not its master.
/Then we have to safeguard ourselves from disease. The Germans are getting 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day, according to type of work. About half are rations. But we have a survey team in the field, staffed by the Red Cross and the R. A. M. C., checking the effect of these rations on the population. Tests are made of blood content, of blood pressure, of height and weight, and reports sent to the Control Commission for them to judge whether the food is just sufficient to keep Germany at work.

Source: A Defeated People, Orientation film no. 28, United Kingdom, 1946. NARA. NAID: 36087

Recommended Citation

Rebuilding Public Life in the British Occupation Zone (1946), published in: German History in Documents and Images, <https://germanhistorydocs.org/en/occupation-and-the-emergence-of-two-states-1945-1961/ghdi:video-5046> [April 23, 2024].