Who was Denazified? Comparative Denazification in Post-World War 2 Germany

How did denazification policies and their implementation across occupation zones affect individuals
and society in post-war Germany? Despite its significance for post-war Europe, there is no
systematic, large-scale comparative analysis on post-war denazification. In this project, I will collect
individual-level longitudinal data from the denazification questionnaires distributed across Germany
between1945 and 1949. The questionnaires contain detailed information on individuals’ past Nazi
organization memberships, retrospective voting, academic and job histories, and rich socio
demographics. The project will establish a database infrastructure on individual-level denazification
(WP1), investigate the political-economic trade-offs faced by the Allied occupiers (WP2), the the
consequences for individual trajectories (WP3), and the the aggregate effect of denazification on
post-war political outcomes. The project contributes to theories of political regime change and
transitional justice.