Liberators
The Allies and Belgian Society, 1944–1945

A revisionist account of the social, economic, and cultural impact of the Anglo-American liberators on Belgian society.

Peter Schrijvers (Author)

9780521514828, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 June 2009

358 pages, 26 b/w illus. 2 maps
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.2 cm, 0.69 kg

'Enjoyable reading. A perspective rarely seen.' The International History Review

In the autumn of 1944, Belgium was liberated at lightning speed. Yet Allied troops continued to dominate much of Belgian society until late 1945. Peter Schrijvers' revisionist account reveals that during that time, strong currents of discontent began to build beneath the waves of gratitude and admiration. Chronic shortages of food and coal, rampant venereal disease, and deteriorating discipline led the Belgian population to lament 'from the liberators, oh Lord, liberate us'. Despite all this, however, the countries and cultures that the Anglo-American troops represented still exerted substantial attraction and influence, causing them to have a lingering impact on Belgian society in ways that would set the tone for the remainder of the turbulent twentieth century. Using newly discovered material from the Belgian state security archives as well as testimonies of the liberated, this book vividly reconstructs the largely unknown history of Belgium's liberation era.

Introduction
Part I. The Big Void: 1. The sun sets
2. Shadow fighters
Part II. Liberation!: 3. Embracing the new
4. Exorcising the old
Part III. Liberators: 5. Waves of admiration
6. Currents of discontent
Epilogue: A tide of change
Cries for normalcy
Whispers of change.

Subject Areas: Second World War [HBWQ], Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], History of the Americas [HBJK], European history [HBJD]