The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe

The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe

William I. Hitchcock

#2409 of 3,809 books · #792 in History

Shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2009).

The story of the liberation of Europe has been told many times, but this history offers new perspectives on this pivotal moment. Drawing on extensive primary sources including letters, diaries, and old records, the book presents many voices from those who lived through the period. Americans remember the end of WWII as a time of triumph and universal celebration in Europe when the occupied countries were finally freed from Hitler's tyranny. However, life was far more complicated for Europeans during and after the Liberation. The book discusses the violence and suffering that occurred to the civilian population in even the most just of wars, revealing a stark contrast between how Americans and Europeans have remembered these events. The experiences of American soldiers entering Germany proved more complex than official policy intended. Americans were surprised to find that they got along well with the Germans, and Eisenhower's failed ban on American soldiers fraternizing with German civilians illustrates the differences between political ideology and basic human experience. Survivors of the Holocaust faced significant difficulties in the immediate aftermath of their liberation, a reality that would influence their view of the end of the war. Meanwhile, a large-scale relief effort led by America in Europe through many charitable organizations and volunteer groups represented the humanitarian side of the Liberation, often overlooked in historical accounts that focus primarily on battlefield history.