Introduction

The study of Hitler’s Germany occupies a unique place in the historiography of contemporary history simply by virtue of the huge quantity of published materials (over 100,000 books since 1945) that continually appear. With the exception of some apologists or neo-Nazi publications, the vast majority of the works, whether woven around individuals or events, have usually agreed upon certain basic themes: National Socialist Germany was a totalitarian regime. Absolute power was concentrated in the hands of a Nazi leadership, which exerted total control over the German people, as well as the populations of states that were annexed or conquered in war. Expansionist actions at the expense of peaceful neighboring states were a mainstay of Hitler’s foreign policy. Genocidal and euthanasia programs were initiated against people regarded as racially or physically inferior beings.