Von einer Provokation zum neuen wissenschaftlichen Paradigma? 15 Jahre nach Goldhagen-Buch und Wehrmachtsausstellung

Abstract

From Provocation towards a New Historical Paradigm? Goldhagen’s Hitler’s Willing Executioners and the Wehrmachtsausstellung Fifteen Years On

This article deals with two public and historiographical debates that have recently taken place regarding the war crimes committed by Nazi Germany, namely the reception of Daniel Goldhagen’s book Hitler’s Willing Executioners and the Wehrmachtsausstellung exhibition in Germany and Austria. It argues that both the publication of Goldhagen’s book and the exhibition marked significant moments in historical research since the interpretations which these events brought about led to new approaches to the history of Nazism drawing on historical anthropology, history of every day life, and history of mentality.

Keywords: Goldhagen, Wehrmachtausstellung, Nazism, Germany, Austria, Historiography