WI: Germany has to destroy every single bit of Autobahn (and is banned from building new ones) after WWII, because they are considered a Nazi Symbol?

[oberdada]

The ban on rebuilding would also apply to all inner city roads with more than 2 lanes and rural roads with more than 1 lane, unless a special permission by the Allied Control Council is granted. (Since that pretty much stopped working after the Berlin Blockade, it won't happen) Other existing roads will be allowed to remain, unless they have a special meaning to the NS. (Especially the streets build for parades will be rebuilt to be nonfunctional for that purpose.
Excluded are roads for exclusive use by the Allied Forces.

Sounds frivolous? Well, it would still better than the Morgenthau plan. And denazification was a thing, more or less.

So I imagine a country without the huge car industry, without trying to copy US suburbia, but with a highly efficient rail network instead. And most people living in 4-story apartment buildings.

 

[Dom Dom]

Is this a bit too much of a restriction to be actually enforced properly like its quite ridiculous for the allies to banned infrastructure that would be quite useful . I would maybe believe it if a temporary measure the occupational government implemented to allocate the material intended for rebuilding the autobahn for other purposed like restarting industry or housing .

 

[Riain]

By 1955 the victorious allies had co-opted West Germany in to the Cold War struggle against the Soviet Union. Major roads like autobahns have too much military utility to be scrapped.

 

[Maponus]

Well, it would simply be false - as the Autobahn predates the Nazi rise to power.

 

[CHKeeley]

Destroying the Autobahn because it is a symbol of Nazism is like banning the German language for the same reason.

But perhaps a more interesting variant of the scenario would be having them neglected like they were in the GDR or military-only? While still difficult, I could possibly see a scenario where this is the case.

 

[CHKeeley]

Well, it would simply be false - as the Autobahn predates the Nazi rise to power.

Well sure, this is generally known but it doesn’t contradict the fact that the Autobahn was used as an effective symbol of Nazi power. It may have been started in the Weimar years, but Hitler really pushed for it as a media spectacle to increase the prestige of Nazi Germany. So I think what the OP said was fair.

 

[sarahz]

Well sure, this is generally known but it doesn’t contradict the fact that the Autobahn was used as an effective symbol of Nazi power. It may have been started in the Weimar years, but Hitler really pushed for it as a media spectacle to increase the prestige of Nazi Germany. So I think what the OP said was fair.

It makes as much sense as banning the BBC because Goebbels used a lot of radio messaging. In other words none. Certainly the British administrators who spent years reconstructing German industry (although sadly not applying such lessons to ourselves)y ) would never have gone along with this as it makes Germany an economic invalid and dependent thus risking it becoming communist through despair. .Some American voices might have initially agreed and a few French ones with this approach, but not many and certainly not once relations with Russia started to cool.

 

[Michel Van]

In short: NO

The long answer:
The allies will do nothing in this stile, because the Autobahn is perfect way to move own troops or equipment fast true occupied sectors !
Next to that is Autobahn needed to rebuild of the Germany industry...

 

[CHKeeley]

It makes as much sense as banning the BBC because Goebbels used a lot of radio messaging. In other words none. Certainly the British administrators who spent years reconstructing German industry (although sadly not applying such lessons to ourselves)y ) would never have gone along with this as it makes Germany an economic invalid and dependent thus risking it becoming communist through despair. .Some American voices might have initially agreed and a few French ones with this approach, but not many and certainly not once relations with Russia started to cool.

Agreed, see my previous comment on the thread. I was only defending the specific portion about the Autobahn being a symbol of the Third Reich. It was starting under the Republic and existed before Hitler, but Hitler was the one who turned the project into a spectacle for the regime and it became a symbol of his government.

 

[The Tai-Pan]

By 1955 the victorious allies had co-opted West Germany in to the Cold War struggle against the Soviet Union. Major roads like autobahns have too much military utility to be scrapped.

This one, plus in only a few short years, it was viewed that West Germany's economic success was a vital bulwark against Communism (in several ways)

 

[TDM]

It just seems a bit petty?

Also as pointed out it would be counter productive for the role the Wallies wanted Germany to play post war.

it's also counter to the general post war attitude towards the economic miracle will bring lasting peace / see off communism.

Plus German's can't buy American cars if there's no roads to drive them on (of course it ended up that was more likely that German cars would be driven on American roads)

 

[Garrison]

I can only see it happening if the Allies have embraced the Morgenthau Plan and are planning to reduce Germany to the level of a Medieval agricultural state.

 

[DougM]

I spent a Summer in the Mid 70s traveling around Germany (and other countries) with my family and we saw so msny Allied military convoys that we lost count. So this would be a GREAT way to shoot themselves in the foot

 

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

I can only see it happening if the Allies have embraced the Morgenthau Plan and are planning to reduce Germany to the level of a Medieval agricultural state.

"Project Elbonia"

 

[Lalli]

Banning building large autobahns and destroying them would be really stupid. These are useful to transport things around and useful for potential war against Soviet Union since you need good and width roads to transport military forces.

Not as bad as Morgenthau Plan or even some worse plans but still counter-productive and pointless.

 

[The Tai-Pan]

I can only see it happening if the Allies have embraced the Morgenthau Plan and are planning to reduce Germany to the level of a Medieval agricultural state.

Even such a plan would rapidly fall apart when faced with the complicated reality of geopolitics. And by that, I mostly mean the incoming Cold War and the battle over Europe's soul.

 

[CaptainCalvert]

With no autobahns, Kraftwerk's release of "Hochstrasse" doesn't catch the record-buying-public's imagination and they are relegated to obscurity.

 

[overoceans]

So, the Allies would allow Volkswagen, with its obvious nazi name and iconic nazi-era cars, to flourish on a global scale, but force the Germans to tear up some roads?

 

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

So, the Allies would allow Volkswagen, with its obvious nazi name and iconic nazi-era cars, to flourish on a global scale, but force the Germans to tear up some roads?

Volkswagen begins building "monster" cars with high suspension and oversized tires, in order to deal with miserable German "road" and off-road travel.

 

[tonsofun]

If you're going to destroy the Autobahns for being Nazi symbols, then you might as well destroy every historical building and force Germany to put a modern style building in its place and rebuilding it as it used to be. It would only serve the piss off the German people and make communism look a lot more attractive.