Richard Steigmann-Gall
Encyclopedia
Richard Steigmann-Gall is Associate Professor of History at Kent State University
, and was the Director of the Jewish Studies Program from 2004 to 2010. He received his BA in 1989 and MA in 1992 from the University of Michigan
, and his PhD in 1999 from the University of Toronto
. In 2003, he published The Holy Reich through Cambridge University Press
, which argues that the Nazi Party was not anti-Christian as popularly understood, nor was it in any sense a paganist
movement. Exploring the concept of positive Christianity
, Steigmann-Gall demonstrates that many in the Nazi Party leadership believed themselves and their movement to be inherently Christian
.
The Holy Reich has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Greek. It has been reviewed widely, culminating in a symposium on the book published by the Journal of Contemporary History
in 2007.
On September 30, 2009 Steigmann-Gall was featured on the The History Channel in a documentary discussing Hitler's religious views.
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, and was the Director of the Jewish Studies Program from 2004 to 2010. He received his BA in 1989 and MA in 1992 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and his PhD in 1999 from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. In 2003, he published The Holy Reich through Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, which argues that the Nazi Party was not anti-Christian as popularly understood, nor was it in any sense a paganist
Germanic Neopaganism
Germanic neopaganism is the contemporary revival of historical Germanic paganism. Precursor movements appeared in the early 20th century in Germany and Austria. A second wave of revival began in the early 1970s...
movement. Exploring the concept of positive Christianity
Positive Christianity
Positive Christianity was a slogan of Nazi propaganda adopted at the NSDAP congress 1920 to express a worldview which is Christian, non-confessional, vigorously opposed to the spirit of "Jewish Materialism", and oriented to the principle of voluntary association of those with a common...
, Steigmann-Gall demonstrates that many in the Nazi Party leadership believed themselves and their movement to be inherently Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
The Holy Reich has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Greek. It has been reviewed widely, culminating in a symposium on the book published by the Journal of Contemporary History
Journal of Contemporary History
The Journal of Contemporary History is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of twentieth-century history. It was established in 1966 by Walter Laqueur and George L. Mosse and is now published quarterly by Sage Publications and edited by Richard J...
in 2007.
On September 30, 2009 Steigmann-Gall was featured on the The History Channel in a documentary discussing Hitler's religious views.
External links
- Faculty Page at Kent University
- Introduction to The Holy Reich - courtesy Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
- Christianity and the Nazi Movement: A response to critics - by Richard Steigmann-Gall
- Richard Steigmann-Gall Interview - by Stephen CrittendenStephen CrittendenStephen Crittenden is one of Australia's leading religion journalists and a broadcaster for ABC Radio National.-Early career:Crittenden began his radio career as a schoolboy, broadcasting with Sydney's classical FM community radio station 2MBS-FM...
, The Religion Report - Review of The Holy Reich - by John S. ConwayJohn S. ConwayJohn S. Conway is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of British Columbia. He has specialized in the role of the German churches and the Vatican during the Third Reich, and on Christian-Jewish relations during the 20th century...
, author of The Nazi Persecution of the Churches 1933-45 - Review of The Holy Reich "Nazism and Christianity: Partners and Rivals?" - by Doris Bergen, author of Twisted Cross
- Review of The Holy Reich - by Ernst Piper, Journal of Contemporary HistoryJournal of Contemporary HistoryThe Journal of Contemporary History is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of twentieth-century history. It was established in 1966 by Walter Laqueur and George L. Mosse and is now published quarterly by Sage Publications and edited by Richard J...
- Review of The Holy Reich - by Christopher Shea, Boston Globe
- Review of The Holy Reich - PDF - by Martyn Housden, Reviews in History
See also
- Adolf Hitler's religious views
- German ChristiansGerman ChristiansThe Deutsche Christen were a pressure group and movement within German Protestantism aligned towards the antisemitic and Führerprinzip ideological principles of Nazism with the goal to align German Protestantism as a whole towards those principles...
- Positive ChristianityPositive ChristianityPositive Christianity was a slogan of Nazi propaganda adopted at the NSDAP congress 1920 to express a worldview which is Christian, non-confessional, vigorously opposed to the spirit of "Jewish Materialism", and oriented to the principle of voluntary association of those with a common...
- Religion in Nazi Germany
- Religious aspects of NazismReligious aspects of NazismHistorians, political scientists and even philosophers have studied Nazism with a specific focus on its religious or semi-religious aspects.The most prominent discourse here is the debate whether Nazism would constitute a political religion, but there has also been research on the millenarianistic,...