The Ideology of the Nazi Party

About the lecture

In this module, we think about the ideology of the Nazi Party, focusing in particular on: (i) the growth in the 19th century of the ideologies of nationalism, militarism, and colonialism – a reservoir of thoughts and ideas from which the Nazis can draw; (ii) the emergence of a new form of anti-Semitism based on Jewishness as a biological or racial identity as opposed to a religious one; (iii) the concept of the body politic, where enemies are imagined as a kind of ‘disease’ weakening it from within; (iv) Adolf Hitler’s understanding of why Germany lost the First World War, and what Germany should do to avoid losing the next European war.

About the lecturer

Neil Gregor is Professor of Modern European History at the University of Southampton. His research interests range widely across twentieth-century German history, and have encompassed, at various points, aspects of business history, social history, cultural history and literary studies, along with historiography. His recent publications include (as editor) Dreams of Germany: Musical Imaginaries from the Concert Hall to the Dance Floor. (2019) and How to Read Hitler (2014).