Anson Rabinbach, a prominent historian on the Nazi era, died at 79 while lecturing in Rome due to heart complications. He explored the connection between social and intellectual history, particularly focusing on Nazism as a cultural revolution driven by various competing ideas, rather than a singular ideology. His arguments challenged older views that prioritized economic and political factors in the rise of the Third Reich. Rabinbach's insights contributed significantly to understanding the nuanced socio-cultural dynamics at play during this troubling period in European history.
Rabinbach argued that Nazism was fueled not by a single brute ideology but rather by a loose coalition of ideas, sometimes in competition but united by a vague ethos that included violent antisemitism.
He took seriously that Nazism was a cultural revolution, a stance that diverged from many older historians of modern Europe who believed the rise of the Third Reich was driven mainly by economics and politics.
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