I don't read Der Spiegel on a regular basis but the cover of the Spiegel Special on Die 50er Jahre caught my attention immediately. Germany's rebirth from a land of rubble (Trümmerland) to economic miracle (Wirschaftswunder) is truly an incredible story.
Particularly interesting to me are the stories describing daily life immediately after the war under the occupation forces. The Germans call those years die Hungerjahre (the hunger years). There is a myth that ordinary German citizens under Hitler and during the war years suffered great deprivation subsisting on rationed food and other necessities. The fact is during the war years there was rationing but nothing like they would experience after the total defeat of the German Third Reich and the occupation of the country.
It's a fascinating study on determination and moxy. I hope Der Spiegel comes out with an English translation. It's a story worth reading.
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