Nazi Germany and the Racial State: ‘Cumulative Radicalization’ and the Twisted Road to Auschwitz

Join us for the second program in a series of expert presentations from Dr. Adam Blackler, Ph.D. and Associate Professor of History at the University of Wyoming, all of which will provide context and historical background for the themes and concepts presented in Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition for libraries, currently on display.

Racism and antisemitism did not propel Adolf Hitler to political power in January 1933. Much to the contrary, many women and men who supported the Nazis did so because of their promises of “Freedom, Work, and Bread.” And yet, after only a few weeks as chancellor, Hitler moved to craft Germany into a dictatorial and racial state. This lecture will explore this violent period of history by examining the decrees, programs, and propaganda that German authorities fashioned between 1933 and 1935. It will consider these prejudicial initiatives in an international and comparative context, specifically with Great Britain, South Africa, and the United States. In addition, it will pose two questions for us to ponder collectively: 1) how was Hitler able to advance racist policies in Germany without a broad or popular mandate from the German people and 2) why did so many citizens seemingly accept these pronouncements voluntarily?
(Adults; Cottonwood Room)