History of the "Third Reich" (1933-1945). Domination, Society and Mass Murder

Annotation

The history of the “Third Reich” is still an ever expanding field of research with hundreds of books being published every year. However, we will analyze three key aspects of the history of Nazi Germany: domination, society, and mass murder. We will focus on the building of the Nazi state from 1933 until the end of the war. In this context we will take a look at different theories which try to explain the stability of Nazi domination until its military defeat. The

Nazi vision of a racial pure and hierarchically organized “Volksgemeinschaft” as a specific form of German society is the second field we will analyze. Various inclusion and exclusion mechanisms will be considered as well as different historical approaches. The Holocaust and the mass murder of gypsy and other ethnic groups as well as the terror against political enemies of the Reich, materialized in the system of Nazi concentration and extermination camps, will be the last field of research we will deal with. The seminar will be strongly text based.

You will be asked to read one or two texts and be asked to answer guiding questions for each session. [e-mail]