To what extent is Christian doctrine accountable for Nazism and its historical legacy? In The Holy Reich (Cambridge University Press, June 1, 2003) esteemed historian Richard Steigmann-Gall grapples with this question, and forces us to confront new and disturbing answers.Despite the popular belief that Nazi ideology rejected Christianity, many members of the Nazi elite - including SS Obergruppenfuehrer Dietrich Klagges, the prime minister of Brunswick, who made Hitler a German citizen - viewed themselves as good Christians. At the same time, prominent pastors praised the Nazi program, especially its antisemitism, but also its anti-marxism and anti-liberalism. In this penetrating argument, Steigmann-Gall demonstrates ideological bonds between Nazism and Christianity by exploring the political and religious views of key players on both sides. He delves deeply into the original sources to chart the personal religious feelings of Nazi leaders - including Goebbels, Goering and Hitler - and their supporters. Rejecting the common misconception that the Nazi elite suppressed Protestantism and Catholicism, he cites numerous cases in which Nazi party members enthusiastically embraced Christianity and often the clergy as well. A strong case is made throughout: instead of representing an assault on Christianity as such, he reveals how the Nazis' ideology fit within a Christian framework. The Christian God provided Hitler's henchmen with an understanding of Germany's "ills" and their "cure."

Extensively researched and incisively reasoned, The Holy Reich is one of the most disturbing and important new contributions to Holocaust studies.

About the Author:
Richard Steigmann-Gall is assistant professor of history at Kent Sate University. He received his BA and MA at the University of Michigan, and PhD at the University of Toronto. He has earned fellowships and awards from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism in Israel, and the Max-Planck-Institut für Geschichte in Göttingen. His research interests include modern Germany, comparative fascism, and religion and society in Europe. He has published articles in Central European History, German History, Social History, and Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte.