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Sylabus

Syllabus/Structure   1. (15 February) Introduction, Organisation, Presentation   2. (22 February) Blueprint for Genocide + Imagening Empire, 3-25.   3. (29 February) The „People’s Community“, 118-142.   4. (8 March) The Fellow Traveller, 206-239.   5. (15 March) Hitler’s Ally + Towards War, 239-261.   6. (22 March) Nazis and Diplomats, 262-297.   7. (29 March) Victory and Defeat I, 297-320.   8. (5 April) Victory and Defeat II, 320-355.   9. (19 April) Empire, Race and War + Europe’s Killing Fields, 355-365, 390-401.   10. (26 April) Was the „Final Solution“ Unique?, 365-390.   11. (3 May) Aftermath: The Other Horror + Urban Utopias, 401-425.   12. (9 May) Conclusion + Discussion of essay topics

Anotace

In this seminar we are going to tackle the question how the National Socialists managed to build up the “Third Reich” after seizing power in Germany in January 1933. We will explore how they transformed (or tried to transform) state, society, economy, culture and even religion.

Based on research literature, primary source material and with Hitler’s two main goals in mind -world conquest and murdering all Jews and “inferior” races- we will critically analyse the national and indeed international rise of National Socialism and how it is remembered and interpreted today.