From King to Führer or Nazis and Nobles

Social decline and political radicalisation in the German aristocracy from the German Empire to the Nazi state

The first comprehensive analysis of the decline of the centuries-old ruling elite of the German nobility. The self-destruction of aristocratic traditions and values, which began in the German Empire with the rapprochement with radical right-wing movements, culminated in the contradictory participation in the Nazi movement. Honoured with the Hans Rosenberg Prize 2004.
There is a consensus in the literature about the immense importance of the German aristocracy far beyond 1918. Curiously, however, much has been claimed about the nobility of the 20th century and very little has been researched. This book caused a great stir as soon as it was published and was reprinted twice within six months. Based on a broad range of sources, this is the first comprehensive analysis of the decline of a centuries-old ruling elite that had defended the bastions of its social and cultural power vehemently and not without success, even within the industrial modern age. At the centre of the study is the self-destruction of aristocratic traditions and values, which began in the late Empire with the rapprochement with radical right-wing movements and culminated in the far-reaching collaboration with the Nazi movement. This finding will not remain without consequences for the interpretation and categorisation of the so-called conservative resistance.