Edith Raim – författare

The Rise of National Socialism in the Bavarian Highlands offers a microhistory of the town of Murnau between 1919 and 1933, a period which witnessed the rise of national socialism in Germany.

National socialism had its roots in Bavaria, where the Weimar Republic found it difficult to secure popular support amongst the rural population. It was in this region that economic hardship and effective national socialist propaganda furthered the erosion of democracy. Focusing on Murnau, this book examines the political and economic state of the town, as well as the mentality and social composition of its inhabitants. It also looks at the development of tourism in the interwar period, a topic which has received little scholarly attention. Although the study limits itself to one town, the reactions of its inhabitants reflect a common attitude of nostalgia for a seemingly better past and a rejection of the ‘excessive’ demands of modernity that the Weimar Republic exacted on them.

This book will appeal to scholars and students of national socialism, as well as those interested in the Weimer Republic, Nazi Germany, microhistory, and the history of tourism.

The Rise of National Socialism in the Bavarian Highlands offers a microhistory of the town of Murnau between 1919 and 1933, a period which witnessed the rise of national socialism in Germany.

National socialism had its roots in Bavaria, where the Weimar Republic found it difficult to secure popular support amongst the rural population. It was in this region that economic hardship and effective national socialist propaganda furthered the erosion of democracy. Focusing on Murnau, this book examines the political and economic state of the town, as well as the mentality and social composition of its inhabitants. It also looks at the development of tourism in the interwar period, a topic which has received little scholarly attention. Although the study limits itself to one town, the reactions of its inhabitants reflect a common attitude of nostalgia for a seemingly better past and a rejection of the ‘excessive’ demands of modernity that the Weimar Republic exacted on them.

This book will appeal to scholars and students of national socialism, as well as those interested in the Weimer Republic, Nazi Germany, microhistory, and the history of tourism.

Of all victims of Nazi persecution, German Jews had to suffer the Nazi yoke for the longest time. Throughout the Third Reich, they were exposed to anti-Jewish propaganda, discrimination, anti-Semitic laws and increasingly to outrages and offences by non-Jewish Germans. While the International Military Tribunal and the subsequent American Military Tribunals at Nuremberg dealt with a variety of Nazi crimes according to international law, these courts did not consider themselves cognizant in adjudicating wrongdoings against German citizens and those who lost German citizenship based on the so-called “Nuremberg laws,” such as Germany’s Jews. Until recently, scholarship failed to explore this task of the German judiciary in more detail. Edith Raim fills this gap by showing the extent of the crimes committed against Jews beyond the traditionally known facts and by elucidating how the West German administration of justice was reconstructed under Allied supervision.

Of all victims of Nazi persecution, German Jews had to suffer the Nazi yoke for the longest time. Throughout the Third Reich, they were exposed to anti-Jewish propaganda, discrimination, anti-Semitic laws and increasingly to outrages and offences by non-Jewish Germans. While the International Military Tribunal and the subsequent American Military Tribunals at Nuremberg dealt with a variety of Nazi crimes according to international law, these courts did not consider themselves cognizant in adjudicating wrongdoings against German citizens and those who lost German citizenship based on the so-called “Nuremberg laws,” such as Germany’s Jews. Until recently, scholarship failed to explore this task of the German judiciary in more detail. Edith Raim fills this gap by showing the extent of the crimes committed against Jews beyond the traditionally known facts and by elucidating how the West German administration of justice was reconstructed under Allied supervision.

Die Forschung zur Weimarer Republik konzentriert sich vor allem auf die Städte, insbesondere Berlin; die Forschung zum Stifterwesen insbesondere auf das deutsche Kaiserreich. Das Werk behandelt einen beispiellosen Ausnahmefall jüdischen Mäzenatentums in der Zwischenkriegszeit auf dem Land. Der amerikanisch-jüdische Philanthrop James Loeb zog noch vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg auf einen Landsitz in Murnau im bayerischen Oberland. Während der Weimarer Republik finanzierte er u.a. das örtliche Kriegerdenkmal, eine gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft, eine Mädchenschule, eine Wohltätigkeitsstiftung für Bedürftige, schließlich das örtliche Krankenhaus. Gleichzeitig entwickelte sich Murnau seit den frühen 1920er Jahren zu einer Hochburg des Nationalsozialismus, wo bereits (atypisch für Oberbayern) seit 1924 bei allen Reichs- und Landtagswahlen mehrheitlich völkisch bzw. nationalsozialistisch gewählt wurde. Das Buch blickt auf dieses Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Philanthropie und Rassenwahn.

Die Forschung zur Weimarer Republik konzentriert sich vor allem auf die Städte, insbesondere Berlin; die Forschung zum Stifterwesen insbesondere auf das deutsche Kaiserreich. Das Werk behandelt einen beispiellosen Ausnahmefall jüdischen Mäzenatentums in der Zwischenkriegszeit auf dem Land. Der amerikanisch-jüdische Philanthrop James Loeb zog noch vor dem Ersten Weltkrieg auf einen Landsitz in Murnau im bayerischen Oberland. Während der Weimarer Republik finanzierte er u.a. das örtliche Kriegerdenkmal, eine gemeinnützige Baugenossenschaft, eine Mädchenschule, eine Wohltätigkeitsstiftung für Bedürftige, schließlich das örtliche Krankenhaus. Gleichzeitig entwickelte sich Murnau seit den frühen 1920er Jahren zu einer Hochburg des Nationalsozialismus, wo bereits (atypisch für Oberbayern) seit 1924 bei allen Reichs- und Landtagswahlen mehrheitlich völkisch bzw. nationalsozialistisch gewählt wurde. Das Buch blickt auf dieses Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Philanthropie und Rassenwahn.