Where Did Nazi Anti-Semitism Disappear to? Anti-Semitic Propaganda and Ideology of the Nazi Party, 1929-1933: A Historiographic Study, in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume XXI

Where Did Nazi Anti-Semitism Disappear to? Anti-Semitic Propaganda and Ideology of the Nazi Party, 1929-1933: A Historiographic Study

Heilbronner examines the place of Nazi antisemitic ideology and propaganda in research literature, which he divides into three categories: general works on the Nazis’ rise to power in the years 1929–1933; studies dealing with organizations, influence groups, and bodies within the Nazi Party; and analyses of the place of antisemitism in the party’s relations with the working classes. He concludes that historians dealing with the period before 1933 assign a marginal role to antisemitism for various reasons. His work focuses on three categories: historians who distinguish between Nazi opposition to Marxism and to the Jews, claiming that the former was dominant before 1933; those who do not distinguish between ideology, propaganda, and the actions of the Nazi Party, claiming that antisemitism was merely part of the Nazi program; and those who contend that since it is well-known that the party was antisemitic, there is no need to dwell on this question. The need for further study of this issue is noted.