Hitler, the Nazi Leadership, and the Evolution of the “Final Solution”

doi:10.1017/9781108990158.004

1 - Hitler, the Nazi Leadership, and the Evolution of the “Final Solution”

from Part I - Structures, Players, and Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 May 2025

Christopher R. Browning

Edited by

Mary Fulbrook and

Jürgen Matthäus

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Mary Fulbrook: Affiliation:
University College London
Jürgen Matthäus: Affiliation:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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Summary

This chapter recaps historiography on the role of Hitler in the Nazi system in general and in the Holocaust in particular; elucidates meanings of “order/authorization/wish” in the context of decision-making; discusses the predominant depiction of Himmler and Heydrich as “architects” of genocide and the role of leaders who are generally neglected in mainstream historiography (Backe, Rosenberg); reflects on center and periphery as useful concepts for process analysis against the background of empirical/regional studies since the mid 1990s.

Keywords

Hitler final solution decision-making

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of the Holocaust , pp. 27 - 50

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108990158.004 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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