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German Colonialism and Nazism as Anti-imperialism

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism

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Definition

Approaching Nazism as anti-imperialism places the focus on Nazi sources, their self-conception and self-projection, their ideology and propaganda. The perception of being the victim of long-lasting domination by foreign powers in a struggle for sovereignty is not to be underestimated as a main reason for the radicalism and totality of Nazi German foreign, settlement, war, and extermination policies.

A Change of Perspective

To approach Nazism as anti-imperialism might at first glance lead to some consternation. Extensive research has addressed the imperial or colonial nature of Nazi Germany. The German concept of Lebensraum or living space in the East, the war of extermination, and Auschwitz indicate the atrociousness of Nazism as an aggressively imperialist and colonising power. On the other hand, it may be argued that the anti-Semitic drive for total extermination defies the categories of colonialism or imperialism. Approaching Nazism as anti-imperialism, however, places...

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  1. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany

    Hans Goldenbaum

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  1. Hans Goldenbaum
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  1. Graduate Center for Worker Education, Brooklyn College, New York, NY, USA

    Immanuel Ness

  2. Independent Scholar, Belfast, UK

    Zak Cope

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Goldenbaum, H. (2020). German Colonialism and Nazism as Anti-imperialism. In: Ness, I., Cope, Z. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_217-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_217-1

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