Mentality of the German Middle Class and Nazism: The Activation and Transformation of Existing Antisemitic and Anti-Liberal Tendencies by Rapid Social Changes, Senior Project, submitted to the Division of Social Studies of Bard College, Annandale-On-Hudson, New York, USA 2021, 104+4 pp. [digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2021/104]
- [From Introduction] An interlude in German history, the Weimar Republic lasted only fourteen years. As a transitional phase between the two world wars, it was a landmark symbol well worth attention and study by historians. In examining the Weimar Republic’s history, one tends to focus on its weaknesses and ultimate overthrow by the Nazis. The list of academic works analyzing the failure of Weimar Germany and the rise of the Nazis is endless. When exploring the relationship be-tween the demise of Weimar Germany and the rise of the Nazis, scholars usually focus on politics, the economy, and the military. However, Weimar’s fall, the rise of the Nazis, and the links between them deserve an investigation of the mentality of all classes of German society. While it would be impractical to examine the entire German population, a suitable alternative would be to focus on Germany’s middle class, where participation in the Nazi Party was most prominent. […]