This unique journey traces the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler and of extremism. It will track the future dictator’s emergence and rise in Vienna and Munich and how he tried to inspire others and grow National Socialism from Nuremberg, his years in power in Berlin and the horrific consequences of his actions in Poland. Professor Weber will not only focus on Hitler himself but also his followers and his opponents. What drove Hitler and how he did he drive others? How did people try to stop him? Perhaps most importantly; how people became radicalised and then de-radicalised. Through Professor Weber’s research and local connections, special meetings are planned with individuals and organisations who can throw light on this phase of history, that to the present day prominently shapes who we are.
The journey begins in Vienna (the city of Hitler’s adolescence) and nearby Linz (the city of Hitler’s youth). Continue on to Munich – the city that gave birth to the Nazi Party. There will be visits to where Hitler lived, the sites of Nazi HQ, the location of a failed coup and the beerhalls in which he spoke and where one can still experience the beerhall’s buzzing atmosphere. There will be a visit to Hitler’s nearby Alpine retreat.
In Nuremberg, visit the site of the party rallies and learn more on how Hitler tried to inspire war and a commitment to a life of National Socialist action. Continue by high-speed train to Berlin and visit the sites of Hitler in power. Learn more of how tried to transform Germany and Europe from the German capital, a city that he ultimately wanted to transform into ‘Germania’, with visits to the Berlin Story Bunker, Haus der Wannsee Conference and the Jewish Museum. Berlin is also full of traces from the time it was divided during the Cold War and Professor Weber will explain how the Berlin of today is coming to terms with its dark past.
The journey finishes in Warsaw, where the legacy of the death of democracy, Hitler, the Third Reich, WWII, and the Holocaust are explored. Today’s lessons are not just about the many moving memorials, but also the kind of political lessons for todays and future generations and how to de-radicalise and bring people together again. These themes are perhaps more important than ever and are the basis of Professor Weber’s book ‘Als die Demokratie starb’ (‘When Democracy Died’).
The journey has been organised by Distant Horizons for the Alumni of Aberdeen University where Professor Weber lectures.
Trip Leader: Professor Tom Weber
Thomas Weber is Professor of History and International Affairs as well as the founding Director of the Centre of Global Security and Governance at the University of Aberdeen. He also is a Visiting Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies at the University of Bonn; and a Member of the Security History Network at Utrecht University. A native of Breckerfeld in Westphalia, he earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford. He also has taught or has held fellowships at Harvard, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago, and the University of Glasgow.