Claus-Christian W. Szejnmann

Perpetrators of the Holocaust: a Historiography

In late 1944 and early 1945 the British Foreign Office gave British soldiers a pocket guide to prepare them to conquer Germany and occupy it afterwards. The guide argued that Hitler had exploited Germany’s tradition of authority and glorification of war, and had moulded a new generation of brutal killers. The Germans, the guide concluded, differed sharply from the British people: ‘The likeness, if it exists at all, is only skin-deep. THE DEEPER YOU DIG INTO THE GERMAN CHARACTER, THE MORE YOU REALISE HOW DIFFERENT THEY ARE FROM US.’1

‘Machtergreifung’. The Nazi Seizure of Power in 1933

Closed access. This is a Special Issue of the journal, Politics, Religion & Ideology. It was guest edited by Claus-Christian W. Szejnmann and Benjamin Ziemann. Also by the author and co-written with Benjamin Ziemann: Introduction: Machtergreifung. The Nazi seizure of Power in 1933’ (pp. 321–337; DOI Number: 10.1080/21567689.2013.820422); and co-mediated (with Benjamin Ziemann) ‘Roundtable: “1933” Eighty Years On’ (pp. 431-448; DOI Number: 10.1080/21567689.2013.820947); co-commissioned and co-edited four articles with Benjamin Ziemann for this special journal issue; single author article: Claus-Christian W. Szejnmann: ‘Nazi Economic Thought and Rhetoric during the Weimar Republic: Capitalism and its Discontents’ (pp. 355-376; PIO Number: 10.1080/21567689.2013.820436).

Nazism in central Germany : the brownshirts in 'red' Saxony

Most studies on the spread of Nazism in German society before and after 1933 concentrate on the countrys western parts. As a result, so the author claims, our overall picture of the situation has been distorted since the eastern areas contained a substantial portion of the population. Neglecting them means that all generalizations about the Nazi period require further testing. This first comprehensive study of Saxony therefore fills a large gap, also in light of the fact that Saxony was one of the most industrialized German regions. It deals with problems of continuity and change in German society during three distinct phases: constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, and dictatorship. The author shows convincingly that it was deep-rooted local traditions that determined the success or failure of Nazism among the local population.

‘A Sense of Heimat Opened Up during the War.’ German Soldiers and Heimat Abroad

This chapter looks at how German soldiers saw other countries, their people and their culture from the perspective of their ownHeimat during the Second World War. Its main sources are contemporary published magazines and newspapers, includingHeimatbriefe (letters from home) and Feldpostbriefe (letters from the field).1 While there is a large and sophisticated literature about unpublished soldier letters (also called Feldpostbriefe),2 published letters in Heimatbriefe and other magazines, such as those for carpenters and beekeepers, have not attracted much, if any, attention.

Diversity and Difference. Changing People’s Attitudes and Behaviours Through a School and Community Based Holocaust Education Project

This chapter examines how teaching about the Holocaust can impact how people of difference are viewed in today’s society, where difference and diversity can be exploited to promote hatred and violence. The context for the chapter is the unique work undertaken by the National Holocaust Centre and Museum whereby pupils, parents, carers and other significant individuals from communities that experience high levels of hate crime and discrimination visit the centre and take part in a series of community-based workshops. Set against recent developments in Holocaust education research, key findings from this project are presented and a key focus on Holocaust education in primary schools explored—how learning about individual responsibilities during the Holocaust can challenge and change attitudes towards people of difference today.