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Podcast: New Books in German Studies
Episode: Richard Weikart, âHitlerâs Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progressâ (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011)
Description: For many years now, historians have wondered whether Hitler had any sort of consistent ideology. His writings are rambling and confusing. His speeches are full of plain lies. His âtable talkâ reflects a wandering, impulsive mind distinguished by a remarkable disconnection from reality. There are obvious themes: strident German nationalism, radical racialism, vicious anti-semitism, and militarism. Do these themes add up to an internally consistent âworldviewâ?
Richard Weikart argues that they do. In his excellent book Hitlerâs Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011), Weickart points out that Hitler, like so many of his generation...