Recently, there has been a major shift in the focus of historical research on World War II towards the study of the involvements of scholars and academic institutions in the crimes of the Third Reich. The roots of this involvement go back to the 1920s. At that time right-wing scholars participated in the movement to revise the Versailles Treaty and to create a new German national identity. The contribution of geopolitics to this development is notorious. But there were also the disciplines of history, geography, ethnography, art history, archeology, sociology, and demography that devised a new nationalist ideology and propaganda. Its scholars established an extensive network of personal and institutional contacts. This volume deals with these scholars and their agendas. They provided the Nazi regime with ideas of territorial expansion, colonial exploitation and racist exclusion culminating in the Holocaust. Apart from developing ideas and concepts, scholars also actively worked in the SS and Wehrmacht when Hitler began to implement its criminal policies in World War II. This collection of original essays, written by the foremost European scholars in this field, describes key figures and key programs supporting the expansion and exploitation of the Third Reich. In particular, they analyze the historical, geographic, ethnographical and ethno-political ideas behind the ethnic cleansing and looting of cultural treasures.

A study of Germany between 1919 and 1945 for AS and A Level History students. It is designed to fulfil the AS and A Level specifications in place from September 2000. The two AS sections deal with narrative and explanation of the topic. There are extra notes, biography boxes and definitions in the margin, and summary boxes to help students assimilate the information. The A2 section reflects the different demands of the higher level examination by concentrating on analysis and historians' interpretations of the material covered in the AS sections. There are practice questions and hints and tips on what makes a good answer.

An exploration of the career of Franz Radziwill, investigating the question of art in a Nazi context

Weimar and Nazi Germany presents the history of the country in these periods in a unique way. Examining the continuities and discontinuities between the Third Reich and the Weimar Republic, it also contextualises these two regimes within modern German and European history. After a broad introduction to 1919-1945, four general surveys examine the economy, society, internal politics and foreign policy. A third section treats specific key themes including women and the family, big business, race, the SPD, the extreme Right and Anglo-German relations. This innovative text assembles major scholars of Germany. It will prove vital reading for all those interested in twentieth century history.