Nazi Germany 1933-1945 Faith and Annihilation

Nazi Germany and the crimes associated with that regime have never left the public consciousness, even though the generation of those already adult in 1933-45 is slowly dying out. But the growing distance from the events of those years suggests new ways of viewing the subject. Historians are discovering not only fresh sources but are also changing their perspectives and trying out new models of interpretation.

This new history provides ready access to the insights of recent study, weaving the analytical strands into the fabric of a narrative account of the period. The rise of the Nazi Party, the consolidation of power in 1933-8, preparations for war, and the nature of the Nazi state are each the subject of a chapter. The war, itself a particular focus of attention, is considered in relation to the military engagements, the persecution of the regime's victims, the extermination and terror programme, and the policies of occupation carried out in numerous parts of Nazi-occupied Europe. Finally, there is discussion of issues of continuity beyond 1945 - an attempt to place the enormity of Nazi crimes in their proper context - and of the extent to which Nazism brought about a modernization of Germany.