Progaganda formula that unleashed thrust

How did the Nazis stage the "Volksgemeinschaft" and how was it perceived and experienced by the "Volksgenossen"? At a conference, historians examine the concept of Volksgemeinschaft - the Nazis' central propaganda tool.

"'Volksgemeinschaft' on the ground?" This question is the subject of a conference taking place from 23 to 25 February at the EWE-Forum Alte Fleiwa. The conference is being organised by the Lower Saxony research college "National Socialist 'Volksgemeinschaft'? Construction, Social Impact and Local Memory", which is organised by the universities of Oldenburg, Göttingen, Hanover and Osnabrück. Prof. Dr Dietmar von Reeken and Junior Prof. Dr Malte Thießen, who organised the event together with their team from the Institute of History, are the conference leaders. According to the two historians, the aim is to "sharpen the focus on the social contexts and processes in which Nazi society was constituted".

"National community" is the central propaganda formula of National Socialist ideology, promising both social justice and national renewal. With this slogan, the Nazis succeeded in unleashing considerable momentum in German society and mobilising large sections of the population. How did the Nazis stage this "Volksgemeinschaft" and how was it perceived and experienced by the "Volksgenossen"? What social, cultural, economic and regional conditions played a role? What consequences did the idea of a national community have for society under Nazi rule? What was the relationship between propaganda and social practice, national and local levels of action?

It is questions like these that the conference aims to explore in case studies. In six panels, academics from Germany, Austria, Israel and Great Britain will discuss social practice in cities and regions of Lower Saxony. The focus will be on Nazi justice using the example of Bremen, constructs of the "national community" in the vicinity of the Bergen, Esterwegen and Moringen concentration camps, the representation of power in Gau capitals such as Hanover, Oldenburg and Lüneburg, rural life under National Socialism, armaments mobilisation in Wilhelmshaven and Salzgitter as well as sport and religious milieus under the swastika.