78 pages • 2-hour read
The Coming of the Third Reich
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Essay Topics
The preface to Richard J. Evans’s The Coming of the Third Reich contains an extensive discussion of how the book would fit into the historiography of Nazi Germany. Discuss how The Coming of the Third Reich fits into histories of the Nazi Party and the history of Germany under Adolf Hitler’s rule published since 2005, the year The Coming of the Third Reich was published.
In the preface, Richard J. Evans remarks “it seems to me inappropriate for a work of history to indulge in the luxury of moral judgment” (xx). Do you agree? Why or why not? How does Evans’s approach compare to at least one other book about the history of Nazi Germany?
Richard J. Evans argues that the history of the Third Reich began with the history of the German Empire from 1870 to 1918, especially the chancellorship of Otto von Bismarck. Compare and contrast this argument to one other theory about the historical origins of Nazi Germany. Which theory do you find more convincing?
Throughout The Coming of the Third Reich, Richard J. Evans draws heavily on primary sources such as the journal of the Communist Richard Krebs (239) and the diary of Louise Solmitz, a middle-class supporter of the Nazis (298). How does Evans use primary sources to support his arguments?
Do you agree with Richard J. Evans that the rise of the Nazis was not “inevitable” (xx)? Why or why not? What does it mean to discuss historical causes when it comes to something like Nazi Germany? Why is it important to discuss such causes today?
Why do you think the Weimar Republic failed? What, if anything, could have averted the decline of the Weimar Republic?
What role did culture play in Nazi rhetoric? How did the Nazis try to reshape culture? What was the relationship between culture and race?
What role did historical nostalgia play in popular support for the Nazis and in Nazi propaganda? How important was this historical nostalgia in the rise of the Nazi Party?
What was the role of the individual versus the role of wide trends and movements in the development of the Third Reich? How much of a role did Adolf Hitler himself play in the history of the Third Reich?
What does the narrative presented in Coming of the Third Reich say about democracy not just in the Weimar Republic, but in general? What does the story of how the Nazis came to power say about the strengths and weaknesses of democracy in the modern era?
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