Nazi Legacy

This volume offers a complete overview of the continuation of Nazi influences that permeated a small portion of postwar Germany's population. Rand C. Lewis traces the history of these influences, which resulted in a small, yet growing neo-Nazi militant movement that became far more visible in the 1980s. He fully chronicles the development of this militancy, and the evolution of its use of right-wing terrorism. Unlike other scholars who call neo-Nazism a modern phenomenon, Lewis argues that there is a direct link between the Nazis and the postwar right-wing extremist movements. Lewis's portrait of the evolution of neo-Nazism begins with a brief introduction, followed by a survey of the Nazi past up through World War II. A discussion of the postwar years covers 1945 to 1970, and develops such topics as the efforts to eliminate Nazism, the rise of right-wing political parties, and militant youth. Subsequent chapters detail right-wing extremist politics and the growth of militancy, as well as the increased extremism of the 1970s and 1980s. Also addressed are the turn to terrorism, government responses, and international connections, while a concluding chapter looks to the future and the threat neo-Nazism poses to U.S. forces and German unification. This work will be an important resource for students and scholars in the areas of European history, political science, and terrorism.