1945 - Defeat. Liberation. New Beginning

The Second World War ended in Europe on the 8th of May 1945 with the capitulation of the German Wehrmacht. Six years of war had cost the lives of millions of victims and brought with it a previously unknown degree of destruction. War, the occupation regime and mass crimes, flight, expulsions and forced resettlement left a lasting mark on the countries and their populations. Today's Europe cannot be understood without knowledge of the wartime events as well as the phase that followed the war and the end of the Nazi terror.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the capitulation, the Deutsches Historisches Museum is presenting the exhibition "1945 - Defeat. Liberation. New Beginning. Twelve European countries after the Second World War" from 24 April 2015 to 25 October 2015. The exhibition focuses on the situation at the close of the Second World War and during the immediate post-war period in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the Soviet Union.
Around 500 exhibits from the collections of the Deutsches Historisches Museum and from 150 lenders from 14 different countries illustrate the thematic breadth of this special presentation. In addition to educational events the accompanying programme offers a number of film and lecture series as well as several panel discussions. The Theiss Verlag is publishing an extensive catalogue to accompany the exhibition.