Sven Reichardt

The Dark Side of Transnationalism: Social Engineering and Nazism, 1930s-40s

This article introduces the special section on the history of social engineering and Nazism during the 1930s and 1940s. It sketches the object of social engineering, the historiographical debates surrounding it, the place of Nazism in this discussion and the role of transnationality. Moreover, it introduces the contributions and discusses questions for further research.

Book Review: MacGregor Knox, To the Threshold of Power, 1922—33: Origins and Dynamics of the Fascist and National Socialist Dictatorships, volume 1, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2007; xii + 448 pp.; £40.00 hbk, £14.99 pbk; ISBN 9780521703291 (pbk)

ultimately, far better able to do so. A closer look at its leaders might have deepened the context and significance of Burkman’s primary perspective. That said, this study deserves attention not only from students of Japanese foreign relations but also of the origins of contemporary internationalism. Burkman’s account of Japan’s highly ambiguous relationship with the International Labour Organization and its highly visible contributions to international legal organizations remind us how little we yet understand of the background of many of the institutions and movements we take for granted today.