Lamar University
College of Arts & Sciences History Department
Nazi Germany History 4353, Section 01 Dr. Mark A. Mengerink
Contact Info Course Theme: Office: Archer 204B “Misunderstanding of the present is Office Hours: MTW 1:30-2:30pm or by appointment the inevitable consequence of
Office Phone: 409-880-7618 ignorance of the past. But a man can wear himself out just as fruitlessly in Email: We will use LU Learn’s “Course Mail” function. Do seeking to understand the past if he is not send emails to my @lamar.edu account. totally ignorant of the present.” (Marc Class Hours: MTWRF 11:30am-1:00pm Bloch, The Historian’s Craft, p. 43)
Classroom: Archer 201
COURSE DESCRIPTION
HIST 4353 will examine the complex development of German society under Nazi dictatorship, from the rise of Adolf Hitler to the culmination of Nazi ideology in war and genocide. We will explore the roots of Nazi ideology in the German and broader European context and why Nazism gained wide popular support among the German people. We will study the regime’s attempt at social and biological engineering; a plan encompassing pronatalism, forced sterilization, murder of “social and biological deviants,” and the genocide of the Jews. Primary sources like memoirs, oral history interviews, and official state documents, as well as historical interpretations of the events, will examine life in Nazi Germany from the perspective of perpetrators, accommodators, victims, and resisters.
The historical interpretations will introduce you to the contentious world that is scholarship on Nazi Germany. Scholars have debated the history and meaning of the Nazi regime for decades. This debate -- this historiography -- has included many different approaches and interpretations. By studying this historiography, you will develop an understanding of how historians interpret the evidence and construct an historical explanation.
As an advanced class, you will end the semester with a basic knowledge of not only what happened in Germany during this period, but also the skills to critically examine why historical events happen and why they are important. HIST 4353 fulfills history major and many elective requirements set by various departments, but has a broader significance for your education. You will develop important skills in analysis and writing that will assist you during your time at Lamar as well as in your professional career. The History Department at Lamar believes that imparting knowledge and understanding of the past “improve[s] the quality of life of individuals and contribute[s] to the welfare of our society.” (http://catalog.lamar.edu/arts-and-sciences/history.html)
Disclaimer: This semester, we will explore events well outside the bounds of normal human experience. We will read graphic descriptions of, and watch videos that depict, atrocities perpetrated against groups of people the Nazi regime classified as unworthy of life, including Jews (especially children), the disabled, “asocials,” homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war, political dissidents, and other European ethnic groups. We will carefully study Nazi ideology concerning race and racism; ideas that may be offensive to some people. We will also examine Nazi ideology on gender, which may include ideas some consider demeaning to women. This may be profoundly disturbing for some people. We will attempt to examine these ideas, events, and issues in a way that respects the dignity of not only the victims, but also the viewpoints of all students. However, if you think studying these materials is inappropriate, I recommend you do not take this course.
Course Requirements & Assessment
Completing this course successfully entails:
✓ contributing regularly and responsibly to class discussions and activities. ✓ preparing for class by reading the assigned readings and completing the short, written exercises before every class period. ✓ working corporately as a class to have effective class discussions.
How will I calculate your semester grade?
❶ ONLINE QUIZZES – 40 POINTS
Syllabus Quiz (20 points): Because this syllabus contains so much information, it seems prudent to determine whether you understand this information. The best way to assess this is through the syllabus quiz. This is a multiple choice, true/false quiz taken through LU Learn on information contained in this syllabus. Read this syllabus thoroughly and then head to LU Learn to take the quiz. The Syllabus Quiz is due by 11pm on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.
Plagiarism Tutorial/Quiz (20 points): This course requires two essays, so it is imperative you understand the definition of plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty and how to avoid them. The Lamar University Student Handbook states, “Lamar University expects all students to engage in academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action.” (http://students.lamar.edu/student-handbook.html) The Plagiarism Quiz is due on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at the beginning of class.
The Student Handbook defines cheating as “purchasing, or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other written assignment prepared by an individual or firm.” It defines plagiarism as “the appropriation of another’s work or idea and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work or idea into one’s own work offered for credit.” (http://students.lamar.edu/student-handbook.html). So, clearly the university and I take this very seriously. Some cases of academic dishonesty are blatant. These students choose to ignore the wise words of Sophocles, the ancient Greek, who said, “Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” However, other cases of academic dishonesty result from ignorance of what acts constitute cheating, academic dishonesty, and plagiarism. Therefore, I provide the above definitions and a chance for you to complete a plagiarism tutorial and quiz. This is an online tutorial and quiz testing your understanding of plagiarism. I have posted the directions on LU Learn.
You
BUSTED!!
Plagiarism or Academic Dishonesty
While we’re on the topic of plagiarism and academic dishonesty, here’s the policy I’ll follow if I detect plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty in the work you submit for a grade.
History Department Policy on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
The Lamar University History Department considers academic dishonesty, including cheating, collusion, and plagiarism, as defined in the student handbook, a serious academic offense. Students guilty of such misbehavior will be subject to the following penalties:
First offense: Students will receive a failing grade on the exam or assignment [a zero], with no possibility for make-up. If the offense is flagrant, the student may receive an F in the course. The student’s name and documented offense will be placed on file in the History Department.
Second offense: Student will receive an F in the course with no possibility of make-up. The student’s name and documented offense will be forwarded to the proper university officials.
All accused students shall be entitled to a written notice of the offense and the penalty assessed, and notified of his or her right to appeal to the department chair/advisory committee.
If you have any questions about academic dishonesty, and what actions constitute such an offense, please ask me.
Sounds terrifying. And it is. Charges of plagiarism can get you kicked out of school and even ruin your career, so the best defense against an accusation is knowledge about how to avoid it. Luckily, Lamar provides you an additional tool to help avoid plagiarism. I’ve already given you a tool – the tutorial/quiz, but this other tool is very helpful as well. You will submit your paper through SafeAssign, a program integrated into the LU Learn LMS. After submitting your paper, SafeAssign generates an “Originality Report.” This report illustrates how closely your paper resembles other papers submitted, including papers from pervious Guilty!! semesters, as well as anything on the internet. Once you read the report, you will have the opportunity to resubmit your paper, after you remove any suspected passages and revise your paper, of course.
❷ CLASS PREP ASSIGNMENTS – 10 POINTS
To prepare for our class discussions, each student will complete a class prep assignment for each class period. These assignments will be due at the beginning of each class period and will involve short answers, like the “50-Word Assignment” or Identifications (IDs). I will explain these assignments in more detail in class. I will also use other formats for these assignments as needed. These assignments will typically focus on the “Homework Learning Outcomes” listed for each class. However, I reserve the right to alter this, depending on daily objectives and the best interests of the learning environment.
Only 10 of these assignments will count toward your final grade, even though you will complete many more than 10. I will not accept these Class Prep Assignment late for any reason.
❸ ESSAYS – 50 POINTS
You will write two essays this summer (25 points each). You will submit the first before the midterm exam and the second essay before the final exam. See below for due dates.
The essays will be based on your interpretation of the readings from the textbook and the primary sources distributed in class, posted on LU Learn, and in the Stackelberg anthology. Please note these essays are not research papers, where you go and find the sources on your own. You already have enough sources to write a solid essay – your textbooks and the primary sources on LU Learn. Don’t make the assignment more difficult than it needs to be!
Your essays will be 4-5 pages (number your pages, please), typed, and double-spaced. In the upper-left hand corner of the first page, provide your name and the title of the paper. Use 12- point font and 1 inch margins.
Basically, I am looking for an essay that is a coherent whole. Do not simply provide a list of important events or people. Tell me why these events and people are important and support your argument with evidence. Make sure to provide a clear explanation supported by specific examples from the textbooks and primary sources when necessary. Good organization is key: present your thesis early in the paper with a clear thesis statement and develop and support your ideas throughout the paper. Finish your paper with a solid conclusion. Correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar are key to clear written communication, so I will be grading these elements of your essays. For a more specific idea of what your essays need to include, see the grading rubric I will use to grade your essays for more details. The rubric is posted on LU Learn in the “Essays” folder.
When you quote or borrow ideas from the textbooks or the primary sources you must provide a citation for the information. Please check my policy on academic dishonesty (plagiarism) located in the syllabus. When citing material from the textbook use a modified parenthetical citation identifying the author and page number. These citations must appear after the sentence. For example, when you use a quote or borrow an idea from the textbook on page 145, your citation should appear like this: The textbook argues, “the army maintained an ambivalent relationship with the Third Reich.” (Bendersky, 145) When you use a quote or borrow an idea from a primary source from the Stackelberg anthology, place the document number and the title of the source in parenthesis (the two must be separated by a comma). This would appear like this: Von Bernhardi argued Germany was “compelled to obtain space for [its] increasing population.” (Doc. 1.7, Friedrich von Bernhardi, “World Power or Downfall, 1912”) These parenthetical citations are not part of the sentence, so they are not followed by punctuation. Parenthetical citations should come after the sentence punctuation.
You will submit your essays as .docx files through SafeAssign on our LU Learn page. The due date for Essay #1 is July 17, 2017 by 11pm. The due date for Essay #2 is August 4, 2017 by 11pm.
How will I grade your essays?
I will use a rubric to assess your essays. Use this rubric as a guide as you prepare your essays. I have posted the rubric in the “Essays” folder on LU Learn. This rubric will be based on the following criteria:
➢ Evidence of Controlling Purpose, Central Idea, or Argument: You present you thesis/interpretation of the question clearly and forcefully. This interpretation then shapes the rest of your essay. ➢ Understanding of Texts/Authors: You demonstrate your understanding of the evidence presented in the various sources you use in the paper. You illustrate an accurate grasp of the content of your sources and accurately describe those sources. You rely on both primary and secondary sources to shape your interpretation and go beyond merely summarizing those texts to analyze them. ➢ Citation of Source Material: You cite your sources, giving them credit when quoting from them or even borrowing ideas from them. You format your sources according to the direction sheet. ➢ Development/Organization: You illustrate structured thinking, careful organization, orderly presentation of ideas, and understandable progression of your points. Your essay is a coherent and unified whole, not just a list of points with no relationship. Your essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. ➢ Reasoning/Evidence: You understand what the texts say and you engage the texts intellectually. You support your assertions with evidence from the sources, specific examples, and appropriate detail. An interpretation is only as good as the evidence on which it is based. ➢ Professionalism: Your essay is written with sound grammar, spelling, writing style, sentence structure, punctuation, and format that abides by the direction sheet.
These criteria for the essays correspond generally to the following letter grades:
Excellent in all or nearly all of the above aspects. The interest of the reader is engaged by the writing. Style and organization seem natural and easy. Your work is marked A by originality of ideas and keen historical interpretation. You provide evidence and you can see complexities in the issue.
Good, technically competent, but with a lapse here and there. The submission is clear and the prose is generally effective. There may be some gaps or flaws in the argument B or some deficiency in one or two of the criteria listed above. However, these flaws tend to be redeemed by the paper’s strong points.
A competent piece of work, but not yet good. C work is more or less adequately organized. In some C work, very good ideas are marred by poor organization – in development, C organization, or technical errors. In other C work, the organization, structure, and grammar are not flawed, but the ideas and how they are developed need a lot of work. Basically C work contains problems with two or three of the criteria listed above without the good points of a B essay to raise it to that level.
A piece of work that demonstrates some effort on the D author’s part but that is too marred by technical problems or flaws in thinking and development of ideas to be considered competent work.
This grade is reserved for work illustrating minimal effort on the author’s part. Perhaps the author has drastically misinterpreted the assignment of left it almost completely F underdeveloped. There are serious problems in just about every criteria listed above. This grade is also reserved for those papers that contain academically dishonest work and plagiarism.
❹ ESSAY MIDTERM & FINAL EXAMS – 100
POINTS
Two take-home essay exams (50 points each) will provide the opportunity to show me how well you understand the people, events, and concepts we will discuss this summer. I will distribute a list of 4 or 5 potential questions 1 week prior to each exam due date.
Your essay must be thorough and coherent, incorporating material from the lectures and discussions, the textbooks, any primary sources we have examined in class or posted on LU Learn, and any other relevant material, like movies. You must organize your responses carefully and logically with appropriate supporting evidence for your general points. Making direct references to the textbooks and/or primary sources (including quotations) is strongly encouraged. In fact, superior essays will include references to these sources as support for points you are trying to make.
An essay, for the purposes of this class, includes a brief introductory paragraph to state your thesis, several paragraphs of explanation and supporting argument (including evidence drawn from the readings and other materials), and a conclusion to summarize your main points.
You will submit the take-home essay exams as .docx files through SafeAssign on our LU Learn page. The midterm is due be on July 24, 2017 by 11pm; the final exam is due on August 14, 2017 by 11pm.
Assignment Point Distribution Grading Scale
Syllabus Quiz 20 pts. 180-200 pts. (90-100%) A
Plagiarism Quiz 20 pts. 160-179 pts. (80-89%) B
Class Prep Assignments 10 pts. 140-159 pts. (70-79%) C
Essay #1 25 pts. 120-139 pts. (60-69%) D Essay #2 25 pts. 0-119 pts (0-50%) F Midterm Exam 50 pts.
Final Exam 50 pts. TOTAL 200 pts.
Late Assignment Policies…
Sponsored by students who submit their assignments on time.
Syllabus Quiz — If the quiz window closes before you take it, then I consider quiz late. Contact me to re-open the quiz. 10 percent deduction per day for late syllabus quizzes.
Plagiarism Quiz — 10 percent deduction per weekday for late plagiarism quizzes. Submit the quiz in hard copy format. Do not email me the plagiarism quiz results. Do not slide results under my office door. Please note: You must submit both the “pre-test” and “post-test” results to earn a grade for the plagiarism quiz.
Class Prep Assignments – I will not accept these assignments late for any reason. Class Prep Assignments not submitted will earn a zero (0). Only your 10 best Class Prep Assignments will count toward your final grade.
Essays — One-letter grade deduction for essays submitted after the deadline, no matter the excuse. Essays not submitted within seven days of the original deadline will not be accepted. Begin preparing for and writing the essays early. I am willing to help in all steps of the paper-writing process. The Writing Center can provide valuable assistance as well. Visit them online (http://artssciences.lamar.edu/writing-center/) or in person on the first floor of the library.
Midterm Exam — One-letter grade deduction for midterm exams submitted after the deadline, no matter the excuse. Exams not submitted within seven days of the original deadline will not be accepted.
Final Exams – Late final exams will be accepted only under special circumstances.
These policies mark my attempt to be fair to all students. “Life” happens to everyone. We all have busy lives and school is one aspect of a busy life.
Late submission of assignments robs you of detailed feedback. I simply cannot devote the same amount of time grading and commenting on a late assignment as assignments submitted on time.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
The course requirements/assignments above are designed to help you meet the course’s learning objectives listed in the left column below. These learning objectives describe the knowledge and skills you will acquire by taking this course. In the right column, you’ll see how each assignment or activity is tied back to those things that you should be able to know or do better after completing it.
The student who successfully This outcome is intended to be achieved by completes this course will be able to: the following requirements described above and listed below: Illustrate your understanding of the content, context, and bias of primary
and secondary sources. ✓ ✓ ✓
Construct historical interpretations using appropriate evidence, correct
citations, sound reasoning, logical ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ organization, and grammatically correct propose. Analyze the effects of historical social, political, economic, and global
forces on German history during the ✓ ✓ ✓ Nazi period. Trace the evolution and contemporary role of Nazi Germany
in the world. ✓ ✓ ✓ Illustrate your comprehension of various interpretations of Nazi
history. ✓ ✓ ✓ Demonstrate comprehension of the usefulness and relevancy of
historical knowledge to current ✓ ✓ ✓ events. Demonstrate a basic factual understanding of major events,
themes, and issues in German history ✓ ✓ ✓ during the Nazi period
Online Online Essays
Exams
Quizzes
Class Prep Assignments
Adapted from Joe Incandela’s Religious Studies 370 course, spring semester 2015, at Saint Mary’s College.
Concealed Handgun Policy
The excerpted text below is quoted directly from Lamar University’s policy. To see the full policy, click here: http://facultystaff.lamar.edu/policy/campus- carry/concealed-handgun-policy.html
Lamar University is committed to maintaining a welcoming and safe educational environment for students, employees, and visitors and adopts this policy in compliance with Senate Bill 11 (84th Texas Legislature) which authorizes license holders to possess concealed handguns on university campuses or premises.
Effective August 1, 2016, a license holder may carry a concealed handgun on or about the license holder’s person while on Lamar University’s campus, except in areas specifically restricted by this policy and law. The “open carry” of handguns on Lamar University’s campus or premises is against the law.
A license holder commits a criminal offense if the licensee carries a partially or wholly visible handgun, regardless of whether the handgun is holstered, on or about the licensee’s person, and intentionally or knowingly displays the handgun in plain view of another person:
1. On the campus or premises of Lamar University 2. On any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area of Lamar University
Any individual who observes violations of this policy should report the matter to the Lamar University Police (or call 409-880-8311). Violation of this policy may result in one or more of the following:
1. Individuals (including students, employees, or visitors) may be excluded from Lamar’s campus and premises. 2. Individuals (including students, employees, or visitors) may be referred to law enforcement for arrest and prosecution. 3. Students may be subject to discipline up to and including expulsion. 4. Employees may be subject to discipline up to and including termination.
Course Materials Electronic Resources
“There are worse crimes than burning books. We will use LU Learn as our course One of them is not reading them.” – Joseph management system. The course syllabus, Brodsky handouts, online readings and videos, and assignments are available through this site. I also post current grades in the grade book. Joseph W. Bendersky, A Concise History When you “email” me, use the “Course Mail” of Nazi Germany, 4th edition (Rowman & function in LU Learn. No one outside our Littlefield, 2014); ISBN 978-1-4422- class has access to this site. LU Learn 2269-4 provides video tutorials and technical Roderick Stackelberg & Sally A. Winkle, support, which are accessible through the The Nazi Germany Sourcebook: An LU Learn login page. Anthology of Texts (Routledge, 2002); ISBN 0-415-22214-1 I cannot help you with technical problems that might arise. That is why technical Handouts: provided in class and as pdfs support exists. However, keep me informed or links on LU Learn. of any problems you encounter, when you have contacted technical support, and when Online movies: links provided in this they estimate the problem will be resolved. syllabus. Communication in these matters is key! Don’t wait until the last minute to get these problems resolved.
A general “Support” page appears here: https://luonline.blackboard.com/webapps/por tal/execute/tabs/tabAction?tab_tab_group_id =_70_1
This page provides links to other resources and phone numbers.
If you encounter technical difficulties with LU Learn or SafeAssign while attempting to submit your essays or exams, take a screen shot and send it to me through Course Mail to avoid the late penalty.
Class Policies
A respectful atmosphere promotes learning. You must recognize the dignity of individuals in class to communicate effectively with them. We will create a positive learning environment in class by remembering these simple rules.
Academic Dishonesty: I have already raised this issue, but wish to reinforce the importance of avoiding it. Go back and re-read the policy.
Attendance: Please, arrive on time. Notify me before class if you plan on leaving class early. I will take attendance every class period. Attendance is crucial for your success in this class. More than four unexcused absences during the summer term will result in a one- letter grade reduction of your semester grade. Valid documentation for absences is required by the last class day of the semester for your absence(s) to be considered excused. You are responsible for signing the attendance sheet. Failure to sign the sheet in class means you are considered absent. If the attendance sheet “skips” you, then sign it on the same day after class.
Technology: I do not allow electronic recording devices in my classes, unless it is to accommodate a documented disability. I have no desire to “go viral” on the internet. Turn off your phone and put it away. I do not want to see it during class. You make the decision about laptop/tablet use. However, here’s some food for thought: Sana, et. al., “found that participants [in their study] who multitasked on a laptop during a lecture scored lower on a test compared to those who did not multitask, and participants who were in direct view of a multitasking peer I don’t ever want to see scored lower on a test compared to those who were not. The results our classroom this empty… demonstrate that multitasking on a laptop poses a significant distraction to both users and fellow students and can be detrimental to comprehension of lecture content.” (Faria Sana, Tina Weston, Nicholas J. Cepeda, “Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers,” Computers and Education 62 (2013): 24-31. In a separate, but related study, Fried discovered “that students who used laptops [in class] spent considerable time multitasking and that the laptop use posed a significant distraction to both users and fellow students.” (Carrie B. Fried, “In-class laptop use and its effects on student learning,” Computers and Education 50 (2008): 906-914. Even those students disciplined enough to stay off the internet during class and use their laptops strictly to take notes are impacted by technology. Mueller and Oppenheimer found that “even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing.” They “found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand…[because] laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing it and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning.” (Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, “Advantages of Longhand over Laptop Note Taking,” Psychological Science OnlineFirst, published April 23, 2014; doi:10.1177/0956797614524581.
Other Policies
✓ I reserve the right to alter this syllabus during the semester to maintain the integrity of this course and its goals. I will notify you before making any changes. ✓ Wear proper footwear in class for your safety and the comfort of others. ✓ Please monitor your grades through LU Learn. To maintain confidentiality, I will only discuss grades and grade challenges in face- to-face meetings in my office. ✓ To ensure thoughtful and informed discussions about grades, I will not respond to inquiries about graded assignments for 24 hours. Before we address your concerns, you must be able to show that you have read and thought about my comments beforehand. ✓ Keep copies of all graded work until I have submitted semester grades in case you wish to dispute a grade. ✓ My office hours are “walk-in” hours and no appointment is necessary. If you want to meet but are not available during my scheduled office hours, we can make an appointment. Students more than 10 minutes late to a scheduled private meeting must reschedule the meeting for a different time.
Emergency Procedures
Many types of emergencies can occur on campus. You can find instructions for severe weather, violence/active shooter, fire, or chemical release at http://www.lamar.edu/about-lu/administration/risk- management/index.html For convenience, following are procedures for the first two: Severe Weather: • Follow the directions of the instructor or emergency personnel • Seek shelter in an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor, putting as many walls as possible between you and the outside. • If you are in a multi-story building and you cannot get to the lowest floor, pick a hallway in the center of the building. • Stay in the center of the building, away from exterior walls, windows, and doors. • In the event severe weather causes a campus closure in excess of 4 days, students must login to the university's homepage for instructions on continuing classes remotely. Violence/Active Shooter (CADD): • CALL – 8-3-1-1 from a campus phone (880-8311 from a cell phone). Note: calling 9-1-1 from either a campus phone or cell phone will contact Beaumont City Police Dispatch rather than University Police. • AVOID – If possible, self-evacuate to a safe area outside the building. Follow directions of police officers. • DENY – Barricade the door with desks, chairs, bookcases, or any other items. Move to a place inside the room where you are not visible. Turn off the lights and remain quiet. Remain there until told by police it is safe. • DEFEND – Use chairs, desks, cell phones, or whatever is immediately available to distract and/or defend yourself and others from attack. In the event of a campus closure and evacuation due to a hurricane or other disaster, this course will continue in an online format until campus reopens. After four days of closure (for evacuation and relocation), please log into our course Blackboard page for class instructions. Lamar University will communicate through Blackboard, your official Lamar University email address, and the university webpage (www.lamar.edu). These efforts will allow you to complete the course and semester on time.
Students with Disabilities Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Lamar University is committed to providing Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment equitable access to learning based on sex and gender is a Civil Rights offense opportunities for all students. subject to the same kinds of accountability and the The Disability Resource same kinds of support applied to offenses against Center (DRC) is located in the other protected categories such as race, national Communications building origin, etc. room 105. Office staff collaborates with students As a member of the Texas State University System who have disabilities to (TSUS), Lamar University is governed by the TSUS provide and/or arrange Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures reasonable accommodations. (http://www.lamar.edu/_files/documents/faculty_staf
f/human- If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental resources/titleix/Sexual%20Misconduct%20Policy.pd health, attentional, learning, f). chronic health, sensory, or Any student who has experienced sexual assault, physical), please contact the sexual harassment, relationship violence, stalking, DRC at 409-880-8347 or [email protected] to arrange a and/or any actions considered sexual misconduct is confidential appointment with encouraged to report the conduct to the appropriate the Director of the DRC to authorities: explore possible options regarding equitable access Title IX Coordinator – Jeff Bell, Human Resources and reasonable Director, 409-880-2215, [email protected] accommodations. Lamar University Police Department – 409-880-
If you are registered with 8311, [email protected] DRC and have a current letter Student Health Center – 409-880-8466, requesting reasonable [email protected] accommodations, I encourage you to contact me early in the To file an anonymous report, follow this link: semester to review how the https://forms.lamar.edu/human-resources/sexual- accommodations will be misconduct-incident-report.html applied in the course. Please note: By state and federal law, I am I will not make any considered a “responsible employee,” meaning accommodations for students if you report sexual assault/harassment to me, unless you provide the correct I MUST report it to my supervisor and up the documentation from Lamar University DRC. chain of command.
Teaching Philosophy Statement
Dear Students,
My goals as a professor are to inspire you to learn and to challenge you to reach your highest potential. The following is my philosophy regarding teaching and learning.
I believe it is essential that I help you to grow as a person, to support your intellectual and professional development, to challenge your assumptions, and to expand your worldview. Basically, I believe my responsibility as a professor goes beyond just teaching you history.
I believe that by providing you with access to the necessary resources and assisting you to develop the necessary skills that you can reach the challenging and high standards I have established for History 1302. I believe a supportive but challenging environment benefits your development as a person and student.
I want you to know that I am personally invested in your success this semester. I care deeply that you learn and succeed and will work with you to help you achieve your personal and educational goals.
I believe the class day is wasted if I haven’t smiled and laughed with you.
I do not enter the classroom expecting you to fail. I expect you to learn and succeed and try and help you expect that of yourself.
I believe teaching is something I do with students, not something I do to them. This collaboration means we will get out of this class what we put into it.
I believe that we do not have to cover everything in every chapter for us to learn American history. I hope you will come to realize this as well.
I believe my training as an ACES fellow (Active and Collaborative Engagement for Students), with its emphasis on moving beyond lectures, will transform our classroom into an amazing learning environment.
My seventeen years teaching at the university level has reinforced my love and passion for challenging students and helping them to succeed. I have the best job in the world! The privilege to teach continues to be a source of personal reward and inspiration for me.
Let’s have a fun and rewarding semester together.
Best wishes and good luck. Dr. Mark A. Mengerink
Important Dates
Jul 10 – Last day to register for Summer II without a late fee.
Jul 11 – Summer II begins.
Jul 11 – Late registration with fee begins for summer II.
Jul 13 – Last day to register for Summer II with late fee.
Jul 14 – Last day for full refund on dropped (not withdrawn) Summer II courses.
Jul 17 – Essay #1 due by 11pm. Submit as .docx file through SafeAssign on LU Learn.
Jul 18 – Plagiarism Quiz results due. Syllabus Quiz window closes at 11pm.
Jul 20 – Last day to drop or withdraw from Summer II without academic penalty (by 5pm).
Jul 24 - Take-Home Midterm Exam due by 11:30pm. Submit as .docx file through SafeAssign on LU Learn.
Jul 31 – Final non-payment purge for Summer II after 5pm.
Aug 2 – Last day to drop or withdraw for Summer II with academic penalty (by 5pm).
Aug 4 – Essay #2 due by 11pm. Submit as .docx file through SafeAssign on LU Learn.
Aug 14 – Summer II ends. Take-Home Final Exam due by 11:30pm. Submit as .docx file through SafeAssign on LU Learn.
Aug 16 – Summer II final grades are due by 1pm.
Please note: The Class Prep Assignments are not listed here, but it is assumed you realize they are due every class period.
ABOUT ME, YOUR PROFESSOR AND FEARLESS LEADER!
Now that we have all the business out of the way, I can introduce myself…I earned my Ph.D. in modern European history, with a focus on the Holocaust, from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. I came to Lamar University in 2007, where I have taught American history surveys (HIST 1301 & HIST 1302), as well as courses in world history, modern European history, Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the modern Middle East.
When not teaching, researching, writing, and serving the department and university, I enjoy reading, listening to heavy metal music, playing bass guitar, and spending time with my wife and cats.
I want to ask a favor of you. Please consider my hearing impairment during class. I cannot hear very well and use hearing aids. However, sometimes in a class environment, it is still difficult for me to hear, especially if we have a busy group discussion occurring. So please bear with me if I ask you to repeat your questions or comments. The best way to help is to raise your hand before speaking and speak loudly and clearly. Thanks!
Course Outline
Tuesday, July 11, 2017: Course Introduction
Today we will talk about the course structure, assignments, syllabus, LU Learn, and the meaning of life. OK, so not the last one, but we’ll basically have an introduction to HIST 4353.
The real work will begin this evening, when you dig into the course work and reading materials…
Wednesday, July 12, 2017: What is History?
Reading: Bendersky, “The Enduring Importance of Nazism: An Introduction” Online Reading: The History Guide, “What is History?” [link here: http://www.historyguide.org/history.html] Video: “What is Historical Thinking?” [link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSJLmWnxrPg]
Homework Learning Outcomes: ✓ Define history. ✓ Describe the subject of historical study.
Class Learning Outcomes: ✓ Identify the main components of historical study. ✓ Determine the purpose of studying history.
“Misunderstanding of the present is the inevitable consequence of ignorance of the past. But a man can wear himself out just as fruitlessly
in seeking to understand the past if he is totally ignorant of the present.”
(Marc Bloch, The Historian’s Craft, p. 43)
Thursday, July 13, 2017: Weimar Democracy in Crisis
Reading: Bendersky, Chapter 1. Reading: Stackelberg, Docs 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.8, 2.11
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the main clauses in the Versailles Treaty. ✓ Identify the context in which the Weimar Republic was created. ✓ Identify problems the Weimar Republic faced.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Ascertain how internal and external forces combined to delegitimize the Weimar Republic. ✓ Identify the various political parties and where they stood
on issues facing Germany. ✓ Determine the role the Wallpapering with Worthless Bank Notes (1923).
Weimar Constitution played © Bundesarchiv. Bild 102-00104. Photographer: Georg Pahl. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- in the political instability. dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=4161
“This most of all shows the assertion that the lost War was the cause of the German collapse to be a lie. No, this military collapse was itself only the consequence of a large number of symptoms of disease and their causes, which even in peacetime were with the German nation. This was the first consequence, catastrophic and visible to all, of an ethical and moral poisoning, of a diminution in the instinct of self-preservation and its
preconditions, which for many years had begun to undermine the foundations of the
people and the Reich.” – Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 231.
Friday, July 14, 2017: The Rise of Hitler and Nazism
Reading: Bendersky, Chapter 2 Reading: Stackelberg, Docs 2.6, 2.12, 2.13
Homework Learning Outcomes: ✓ Analyze Hitler’s early life
leading to WWI.
✓ Identify the main points in
the Nazi Party Program. ✓ Ascertain how Hitler came to control the Nazi Party.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Examine the role of
propaganda in Hitler’s rise to
party leadership. National Socialist German Workers’ Party ✓ Examine the Nazi Party in the (NSDAP) Election Campaign Drive (1920). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. context of Weimar politics. Photographer: Heinrich Hoffmann. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-
dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=4280
“As long as my father’s intention of making me a civil servant encountered only my theoretical distaste for the profession, the conflict was bearable…The problem became more difficult when I developed a plan of my own in
opposition to my father’s. And this occurred at the early age of twelve. How it happened, I myself do not know, but one day it became clear to me that I would become a painter, an artist.” – Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 9
Monday, July 17, 2017: The Historical Roots of Nazism
Reading: Bendersky, Chapter 3 Reading: Stackelberg, Docs 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.7, 1.8 Video: “Social Darwinism,” [link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imS45fopNs0] Assignment Due: Essay #1 due by 11pm. You will submit your essays as .docx files through SafeAssign on our LU Learn page.
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the main tenets of National Socialist ideology. ✓ Define Volk, Gemeinschaft, Volksgemeinschaft, and
Führerprinzip.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Examine whether Germany was unique in Europe in terms of the forces that shaped Nazi ideology. ✓ Identify how the Nazi Party
Program reflects the longer
intellectual development of
German right-wing politics. Hitler Practicing Rhetorical Poses in Heinrich Hoffman’s Studio (c. 1927). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz / Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Photographer: Heinrich Hoffmann. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=4287
“One thing had grown clear to me: the party [Social Democratic Party] with whose petty representatives I had been carrying on the most violent struggle for months was, as to leadership, almost exclusively in the hands of a foreign people; for, to my deep and joyful satisfaction, I had at last come to the conclusion that the Jew was no German.” – Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 61.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017: Propaganda, Party Structure, and Following During the “early Years of Struggle”
Reading: Bendersky, Chapter 4 Reading: Stackelberg, Docs 2.12, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 Online Reading: “Propaganda” [link here: http://research.calvin.edu/german- propaganda-archive/prop27.htm] Assignments Due: Syllabus Quiz by 11:30pm; Plagiarism Quiz at beginning of class
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Define Sturmabteilung, Gau, and Gauleiter. ✓ Identify Josef Goebbels.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Determine the fundamental messages of Nazi propaganda during the “Years of Struggle.”
✓ Identify how the Nazi Party
attempted to reach various
groups.
✓ Analyze the effectiveness of
Nazi propaganda between Joseph Goebbels at His Desk (March 1, 1924 and 1928. 1933). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2267
“The art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding, through a psychologically correct form, the way
to the attention and thence to the heart of the broad masses.” – Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 180
Wednesday, July 19, 2017: Parliamentary Paralysis and the Nazi Breakthrough of 1930
Reading: Bendersky, Chapter 5 Online Reading: “An Accountant Recalls His Involvement in Party Activities,” “The Government’s Assessment of the Nazi Party,” “The Nazis in Parliament,” and “The Meaning of the Electoral Breakthrough” [posted on LU Learn]
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify Young Plan, Alfred Hugenberg, Gustav Stresemann, “presidential system,” Kurt von Schleicher, and Heinrich Brüning. ✓ Determine the economic and social context leading to the 1930 Reichstag election.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Determine to what extent the Nazi “breakthrough” was a Alfred Hugenberg, Franz von Stephani, and function of economic Franz Seldte at a Rally against the Adoption of instability or political risk-taking the Young Plan (September 24, 1929). © Bundesarchiv. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- and skill. dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=4041 ✓ Identify the Nazi Party’s electoral strategy in the summer of 1930.
“I see endless columns marching in spirit. A humiliated people rises up
and begins to move. An awakening Germany demands its rights: Freedom and prosperity!” – Josef Goebbels, “Raise High the Flag!” February 1930
Thursday, July 20, 2017 & Friday, July 21, 2017: Hitler’s Legal Path to Power
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 6 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.23 Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 1 – “Helped into Power” in class
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify Franz von Papen and Paul von Hindenburg.
✓ Identify the justification for
appointing Hitler chancellor.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Trace the political development of Germany during 1932. ✓ Trace the course of Nazi
fortune during 1932. Hitler and Hindenburg on “The Day of Potsdam” ✓ Examine the factors (March 23, 1933). © Bildarchiv Preußischer
contributing to Nazi success. Kulturbesitz. Photographer: Theodor Eisenhart. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3771
“The situation we have inherited is a terrible one. The task we must fulfill is the most difficult one posed to German statesmen within living memory. But our
confidence is unbounded, for we believe in our people and their imperishable values. Peasants, workers, and the middle classes must all join together to provide the building blocks for the new Reich.” – Proclamation of the Reich Government to the German People, 1 February 1933
Monday, July 24, 2017: The Pseudolegal Revolution
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 7 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 3.5, 3.8, 3.12a, 3.12b, 3.15, 3.21 Assignment Due: Take-Home Midterm Exam due by 11pm. You will submit your essays as .docx files through SafeAssign on our LU Learn page.
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the Reichstag Fire, Reichstag Fire Decree, Enabling Act, and Ernst Röhm. ✓ Define Gleichschaltung.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Trace the development of Hitler’s consolidation of power from his appointment as chancellor to summer 1934. ✓ Examine the claim of a
“pseudolegal revolution.” SA Chief of Staff Ernst Röhm (1934). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2330
“I swear by God this sacred oath, that I will render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Führer of the German Reich and people, supreme commander
of the Armed Forces, and will be ready as a brave soldier to risk my life at any time for this oath…” – Oath of Officials and Soldiers of the Wehrmacht, 20 August 1934
Tuesday, July 25, 2017 & Wednesday, July 26, 2017: The Total State v. the Dual State & Polycracy
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 8 Online Reading: “The Führer Principle,” “Nazi Leadership in Chaos,” “The Party State Relationship.” (Posted on LU Learn) Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 2 – “Chaos and Consent” in class
Homework Learning Outcomes: ✓ Determine the relationship
between National Socialist
institutions and the
government. ✓ Identify Constantin von Neurath, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Field Marshal von Blomberg, and General von Fritsch.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Determine Hitler’s role in the day-to-day administration of The Organizational Structure of the NSDAP. © the regime. Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. ✓ Determine the validity of the http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1899 “weak dictator” interpretation.
“The prerequisite for the creation of an organizational form is and remains
the man necessary for its leadership. As worthless as an army in all its organizational forms is without officers, equally worthless is a political organization without the suitable leader.” -- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 349
Thursday, July 27, 2017: Political Biology, Culture, & Society
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 9 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 3.25a, 3.25b, 4.4, 4.5
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the role of biology in National socialist ideology and policy.
✓ Identify how the Nazi
regime’s view on “culture.”
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Assess the regime’s view of women in the context of its racial, cultural, and social
policies. “The Cross of Honor for the German Mother:” Three-Tiered Medal for Mothers with Four or More Children (1938). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2044
“The critical question is whether we can succeed in reaching an average of three to four live births per marriage. Only that will guarantee the survival of our people. The duty of the state is to provide legal and especially economic measures to equalize the burdens that today fall particularly heavy on families with many children. The task of the movement will continue to teach the people through a powerful campaign of education and enlightenment that the path to the future leads through a generation of healthy children, a generation large enough to maintain – and if necessary – defend what their parents and ancestors have won and created.” -- Gerhard Wagner, “Race and Population Policy, 11 September 1936
Friday, July 28, 2017: SS Terror, Antisemitism, & Resistance to Nazification
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 10. Read: Stackelberg, Docs 2.9a, 3.14, 3.26a, 3.26b, 3.26c, 3.26d, 4.2
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify SS, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, Nuremberg Laws, and Mischling.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Examine the reactions of various groups to the increasing power of the Nazi regime.
✓ Assess the treatment of religious groups, “asocials,” political opponents, the Hermann Göring, Chief of the State Secret Police disabled, and other racial Office, names Heinrich Himmler Deputy Chief and "Inspector of the Prussian Political Police" (April minorities. 20, 1934). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1908
“Blood mixture and the resultant drop in the racial level is the sole cause of the dying out of old cultures; for men do not perish as a result of lost wars, but by the loss of that force of resistance which is contained only in pure blood. All who are not of good race in this world are chaff.” – Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 296
Monday, July 31, 2017 & Tuesday, August 1, 2017: The Führer as Statesman – Ideology & Foreign Policy
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 11 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 4.10, 4.12 Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 3 – “The Wrong War” in class
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Define appeasement, Lebensraum, Untermenschen, and Anschluss. ✓ Identify the Rhineland, Engelbert Dollfuss, the Sudetenland, and the Munich Conference. ✓ Outline the basic ideas underlying Hitler’s foreign policy between 1933 and 1939.
Class Learning Outcomes: ✓ Trace the major steps Hitler took to implement his foreign policy Cheering Austrians Greet Adolf Hitler in his Hometown goals between 1922 and 1939. of Braunau am Inn (March 12, 1938). © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Photographer: Heinrich ✓ Determine the motivations for Hoffmann. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- appeasement. dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1989
“Germany will either be a world power or there will be no Germany.” -- Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, p. 654.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017 & Thursday, August 3, 2017: The Führer as Warrior: Victory & Conquest
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 12 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 5.8, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12 Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 4 – “The Wild East” in class
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Define Blitzkrieg and Luftwaffe. ✓ Identify the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact and Operation Barbarossa.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Assess Hitler’s strategic and military decisions from 1939 to German Soldiers Dismantle a Polish Border Barrier 1942. (September 1, 1939). © Bildarchiv Preußischer ✓ Examine the ideology behind Kulturbesitz. Photographer: Heinrich Hoffmann. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- Operation Barbarossa. dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=2001
“In the course of my life I have very often been a prophet, and have usually been ridiculed for it. During the time of my struggle for power it was in the first instance the Jewish race which only received my prophecies with laughter when I said that I would one day take over the leadership of the state, and with it that of the whole nation, and that I would then among many other things settle the Jewish problem. Their laughter was uproarious, but I think that for some time now they have been laughing on the other side of their face. Today I will once more be a prophet: If the international Jewish financiers in and outside
Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevization of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe!” – Adolf Hitler, Reichstag Speech, 30 January 1939
Friday, August 4, 2017, 2017: From Domination to Retreat
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 13 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 5.23 Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 6 – Fighting to the End in class Assignment Due: Essay #2 due by 11pm. You will submit your essays as .docx files through SafeAssign on our LU Learn page.
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the Nazi regime’s
main occupation policies. ✓ Analyze the regime’s attempt to mobilize the German people for fighting the war.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Assess the social, political,
and economic impacts of German Soldier after the Capitulation in Stalingrad the war on Germany and the (January/February 1943). © Bundesarchiv. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- occupied territories. dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3152
“Total war is the demand of the hour. We must put an end to the bourgeois attitude that we have also seen in this war: Wash my back, but don’t get me wet! The danger facing us is enormous. The efforts we take to meet it must be just as enormous. The time has come to remove the kid gloves and use our fists. We can no longer make only partial and careless use of the war potential at home and in the significant parts of Europe that we control. We must use our full resources, as quickly and thoroughly as it is organizationally and practically possible. Unnecessary concern is wholly out of place. The future of Europe hangs on our success in the East. We are ready to defend it. The German people are shedding their most valuable national blood in this battle. The rest of Europe should at least work to support us. There are many serious voices in Europe that have already realized this. Others still resist. That cannot influence us. If danger faced them alone, we could view their reluctance as literary nonsense of no significance. But the danger faces us all, and we must all do our share. Those who today do not understand that will thank us tomorrow on bended knees that we courageously and firmly took on the task.” – Joseph Goebbels, “Nation, Rise Up, and Let the Storm Break Loose”
Monday, August 7, 2017 & Tuesday, August 8, 2017: The Holocaust, Resistance, & Defeat
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 14 Read: Stackelberg, Chapter 6 (entire) Video: “World War II and the Holocaust” [link here: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?ModuleId=10005143&MediaId=7827] Video: “The Warsaw Ghetto” [link here: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?ModuleId=10005069&MediaId=3375] Video: “Auschwitz” [link here: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?ModuleId=10005189&MediaId=3371] Video: “Resistance” [link here: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_nm.php?ModuleId=10005213&MediaId=3543] Video: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 4 – The Road to Treblinka in class
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify the main ghettos and death camps used by the Nazis in their policy toward Jews. ✓ Define eugenics. ✓ Distinguish the difference between concentration and death camps.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Trace the evolution of Nazi anti- Jewish policy. ✓ Analyze resistance to the murder of Jews. Rail Spur into Auschwitz-Birkenau and Unloading ✓ Determine the motivations for Ramp (June 2016). Photographer: Mark continued killing as the Nazi Mengerink regime collapsed.
“The road to Auschwitz was built by hate but paved with indifference.” -- Ian Kershaw
Wednesday, August 9, 2017: The Aftermath & Legacy of Nazi Germany
Read: Bendersky, Chapter 15 Read: Stackelberg, Docs 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9 Read: Mengerink, “Hitler, the Holocaust, and Heavy Metal Music: Holocaust Memory and Representation in the Heavy Metal Subculture, 1980-Present” – posted on LU Learn
Homework Learning Outcomes:
✓ Identify how the Grand Alliance treated Germany at the end of WWII. ✓ Determine how Germans remember the Nazi period.
Class Learning Outcomes:
✓ Determine how other countries have attempted to remember the Nazi past. ✓ Determine if there is a “right” or “correct” way to After the Unconditional Surrender: Ruins remember the Holocaust. at Brandenburg Gate (May 8, 1945). © Bundesarchiv. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi- dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3161
“Hitler had not changed [in April 1945] – all the elements that had enabled him to become a charismatic leader still existed within him until his last breath. What had changed was other people’s perception of him. Since charisma is only created in an interaction between an individual and a receptive audience, repeated failure and broken promises had badly damaged Hitler’s charismatic appeal not only amongst the broad German population, but amongst many of his core supporters.” – Laurence Rees, Hitler’s Charisma: Leading Millions into the Abyss, p. 293
Thursday, August 10, 2017 to Monday, August 14, 2017
NO CLASS: PROFESSOR OUT OF TOWN. Assignment Due: Take-Home Final Exam due Monday, August 14, 2017, by 11:30pm. Submit as a .docx file through SafeAssign on LU Learn.