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School of History · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Historians have long tried to understand how modern Germany could descend, in the space of a few years, into brutal terror, racial warfare and genocide. This course explores the origins of Nazism in German history, the rise of the National Socialist Party and the nature of Nazi rule, from the seemingly inauspicious Nazi movement's early years after the First World War to the Holocaust and to the Third Reich's final collapse in 1945. The course explores the historical context of Nazism, including the allied regime of Italian Fascism. Students will examine Nazi state and society from multiple perspectives to achieve a deeper understanding of the Third Reich, and will gain a familiarity with the state of historical research in this area.
Essay Proposal: 500 words.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Research Essay 2,500 words
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Final Examination (3 hours).
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Lecture Responses (5 x 200 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 4
Class participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 4
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorial and tutorial-like activities; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Key readings will be supplied through WATTLE. Preliminary Reading Karl Dietrich Bracher, “The Role of Hitler,” in Walter Laqueur, ed., Fascism: A Reader’s Guide (1976), 211-225. Hans Mommsen, “Hitler’s Position in the Nazi System,” in From Weimar to Auschwitz (1991), 163-188. Ian Kershaw, “Working towards the Fuehrer,” in Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris (1998), 527-591.