This unit focuses on the political and social history of Germany between 1918 and 1945. Significant historiographical issues will be explored. The first part concentrates on the nature of the Weimar Republic and its demise; the second part focuses on the rise of the Nazi Party and the nature of, and eventual collapse of, the Third Reich. Topic areas include: the politics of the ruling elite and the people; the economy and social differentiation; Weimar culture; regional differences; the experience of ethnic minorities; the racial ideologies of the Nazi dictatorship; and the German conduct of the war, including the Holocaust.