Introduction

Abstract

Was there a peculiarly “Nazi science”? Were there uniquely “Nazi scientists”? These questions are deceptively simple. Even the term “Nazi” is frustratingly difficult to define. A minority of Germans, including National Socialist leaders like Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Josef Goebbels, were certainly “Nazis.” An even smaller group, including the small circle of Army officers, churchmen, and aristocrats who tried and failed to assassinate Hitler in 1944, certainly resisted National Socialism. But the conduct and conviction of tens of millions of other Germans were not so clear cut. There is no simple definition for the term “Nazi.” Mere membership in the National Socialist German Workers Party does not suffice: there are many examples of party members who opposed Hitler’s murderous policies and of non-members who actively supported them. Instead, individual Germans have to be examined and judged on a case-by-case basis, and different observers may come to different conclusions.