The re-education of the Germans after 1945 was one of the most significant events in the history of mentalities during the post-war period. Schrenck-Notzing meticulously outlines how the idea of re-education in Germany came about politically in the USA and who was primarily involved in it. The internal struggles among Americans regarding the post-war order in Germany are also thoroughly examined. The roles of psychology and pedagogy, as well as the politicization of psychoanalysis, are clearly illuminated, along with their effects on the future elite of the Federal Republic and ultimately on the later politics of the country. The re-education penetrated so deeply into the consciousness of the Germans that they later continued it on their own initiative, even without American guidance, in order to permeate all social classes with its principles. Licensed newspapers by the Allies played a crucial role in this process.