The Radical Right in Germany: 1870 to the Present (Themes In Modern German History)

The Radical Right has represented a major element in German politics and society throughout the history of the united country (i.e. since the 1870s), though the understandable concentration on the Third Reich (1933-45) has tended to distort the wider picture. This book explores the history of the radical right through the full span of Germany's life as a nation, thus putting the Third Reich in its natural context, and also emphasising that the attitudes and policies of the radical right did not begin with Hitler's pursuit of power in the 1920s or end with his death in the ruins of Berlin. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations and glossary 1 The far right in German history and politics: an introduction Structure of the book Defining the radical right Fascism National Socialism Right-wing radicalism and right-wing extremism Neo-fascism and neo-Nazism The continuity debate 2 Tracing the origins and rise of the radical right: the Kaiserreich, 1870-1918 The historical setting Defining the right in Imperial Germany: a short chronology Membership of the radical right Old and new variants of anti-Semitism Nationalism Germany at war: the ascendant radical right Conclusions 3 Pushing to extremes: the radical right in Weimar Germany, 1919-33 The conservative right in the Weimar Republic, 1919-25 Soldiers, revolts and putsches: an emerging militant right Moving to the right: the German National Socialist Workers' Party Aspiring politicians, party organization and propaganda, 1924-28 Competing for power: the forces of the right, 1928-33 Conclusions 4 National Socialist ideology and leadership Nazi ideology Style and leadership Conclusions 5 Party membership and propensity for violence Social background The role of violence The fall of Röhm Conclusions 6 The extreme right in power: pursuing an ever radicalizing agenda Domestic policy Foreign policy Germany at war, 1939-45 Conclusions 7 The fall, rise and fall of organized right-wing extremism in West Germany, 1945-90 Germany under occupation, 1945-49 Resurgence, 1949-52 Stagnation and decline, 1953-64 The rise and fall of the NPD, 1964-72 Fractionalization and radicalization, 1972-84 The third phase, 1984-90 Conclusions 8 Homeland and hate: right-wing extremism and neo-Nazi militancy in unified Germany, 1990-present Stagnation of organized right-wing extremism, 1990-2001 Militant and aggressive extremism: the neo-Nazis Origins and rise of neo-Nazism, 1972-89 The neo-Nazi resurgence: growth and aggression, 1990-2000 Conclusions 9 A new millennium for the extreme right? Conclusions Further reading Index "The Radical Right in Germany takes a unique look at the development of right-wing extremism through the four very divergent political regimes in Germany from 1870 to the present. In a clear and accessible manner, the book: accounts for the origins and rise of right-wing extremism from the early years of the Bismarckian system established in 1870, to Germany's defeat in World War One; traces its rise under the Nazi Party in the 1920s and considers Nazism's impact on Germany under the Third Reich; and analyses its role and the significance of right-wing extremist movements in modern Germany."--BOOK JACKET Tracing the history of right-wing politics through the full span of Germany's life as a nation, Lee McGowan shows that the attitudes and policies of the radical right neither began with Hitler's pursuit of power in the 1920s nor ended with his death in the ruins of Berlin.