This module is not currently running in 2025 to 2026.
Why do we care so much about the Nazis? This is one of the core questions at the heart of this Special Subject. Students will have the opportunity to engage with the ways in which the history, memory and myths of the Third Reich – perhaps the defining historical phenomenon of the twentieth century – have been constructed and interpreted around the world since 1945. The module will be divided into four sections. The first will consider the nature of the Third Reich itself and of its downfall, as well as the situation which emerged from the ashes, including the Allied occupation and the onset of the Cold War. The second will delve into the thorny topic of justice and restitution, examining how the perpetrators and victims of Nazism were treated after the war and how we continue to wrestle with the tricky issues of guilt, complicity and victimhood. The third will think explicitly about memory and the ways in which histories of the Third Reich and the Holocaust have been presented, and what that can tell us about the times in which those histories were created. It will also critically engage with the risks involved in emphasising Nazi Germany over other horrific episodes from modern history. The fourth and final section will look at the political legacies of the Third Reich encompassing the long post-war tradition of neo-Nazism and the more recent mainstream resurgence of the so-called 'alt-right'. As this suggests, this module is a timely and important one, offering students the chance to think about a history which they have likely encountered on countless prior occasions in a new and innovative way. Alongside the topics mentioned above, throughout the module, they will be encouraged to think about the countless ways in which Nazism has infiltrated the international social, political and cultural discourse since 1945.
Total contact hours: 80
Total private study hours: 520
Total module study hours: 600
Main assessment methods:
Presentation/seminar contribution – 10%
Essay 1 (2,000 words) – 5%
Essay 2 (3,000 words) – 15%
Lesson plan & commentary (2,000 words) – 10%
Exam 1 (two hours) – 30%
Exam 2 (two hours) – 30%
Reassessment methods:
100% coursework
Indicative Reading List:
Arendt, H., Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (New York: Viking, 1963)
Berlet, C. (ed.), Trumping Democracy: From Reagan to the Alt-Right (Abingdon: Routledge, 2019)
Bessel, R., Germany 1945: From War to Peace (London: Simon & Schuster, 2009)
Copsey, N., and M. Worley (eds.), Tomorrow Belongs to Us: The British Far Right since 1967 (Abingdon: Routledge, 2017)
Evans, R., The Third Reich in History and Memory (London: Little, Brown, 2015)
Fulbrook, M., Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice (Oxford: OUP, 2018)
Grossmann, A., Jews, Germans, and Allies: Close Encounters in Occupied Germany (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007)
Hermansson, P., D. Lawrence, J. Mulhall and S. Murdoch, The International Alt-Right: Fascism for the 21st Century? (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020)
Judt, T., Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945 (London: Vintage, 2005)
Kershaw, I., The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation (London: Bloomsbury, 2000)
Macklin, G., Failed Führers: A History of Britain's Extreme Right (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020)
Moeller, R.G., War Stories: The Search for a Usable Past in the Federal Republic of Germany (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an awareness of the fact that the Third Reich did not simply disappear with Hitler's suicide or the defeat in the Second World War, but that rather it left a series of complex and international legacies which emerged in 1945 but with which historians and others are still grappling today.
2. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the ways in which the Third Reich has become the dominant historical episode of the twentieth century and how it has influenced the social, political and cultural discourse in countries around the world.
3. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the importance of memory and memorialisation as it pertains to crucial events and periods from the past. This will extend to the ways in which memory (and myths) can be constructed to serve particular purposes and how this shapes the wider public's comprehension of history at large.
4. Demonstrate an awareness of the risks and benefits implicit in approaching the study of history from a certain moral standpoint, and the complex relationship between analysing particularly difficult episodes of the past (especially the Holocaust) and passing moral judgement.
5 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of a comprehensive and informed historical education and of the processes and challenges involved in shaping this education.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1. Work with considerable independence to conduct research and develop their understanding of questions and issues.
2. Demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively and persuasively by a variety of means, including the use of a range of primary source materials and historiographical content.
3. Research and integrate primary sources into assessments.
4. Apply their knowledge and skills to the production of a range of different outputs, including both written and oral arguments.
5. Work collaboratively to develop and advance ideas and think about the best way to disseminate their thinking as a group.
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