A Song for Hitler
Why is the sordid murder of Horst Wessel, a young Nazi storm troop leader in Berlin in early 1930, so important? Nigel Jones recalls his death and the black legend that sprang from it.
Germany
Hitler and the Holocaust
Alan Farmer assesses the personal responsibility of the Führer
Bismarck and the German Right
Robert Gerwarth looks at the ways in which Otto von Bismarck was turned into a mythical hero-figure of the right and shows how the ‘Bismarck myth’ contributed to the widespread hunger in German society for a towering leader.
Richard, Earl of Cornwall crowned King of the Romans
Richard Cavendish recalls May 17th, 1257.
Mein Kampf – The Text, its Themes and Hitler’s Vision
Robert Carr dissects a book frequently referred to but seldom read.
The Berlin Wall: A Secret History
The Berlin Wall was a tangible symbol of the suppression of human rights by the Eastern bloc during the Cold War, but Frederick Taylor asks whether it was more convenient to the Western democracies than their rhetoric suggested.
Stoking the Fire
Jörg Friedrich’s horrifying account of the Allied bombing raids caused a stir on its first publication in Germany. Now it has been translated into English, and York Membery has canvassed some leading British historians for their views.
Russia and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71
Mike Wells argues that Russian decisions in July 1870 were of major significance for the history of Europe.
The First Christmas Tree
Contrary to popular myth, it wasn't Prince Albert but another German royal transplant who introduced the Christmas tree to Britain: Queen Charlotte.
Hitler’s Gamble
Did Hitler intend to provoke a general war over Poland in September 1939 or was it a serious miscalculation? Adam Tooze examines the views of leading historians before offering his own, new, interpretation of the decisions and events in Germany that ignited the Second World War.