Heinz Peter Longerich (born 1955) is a German professor of history and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. He is regarded by Ian Kershaw, Richard Evans,

Timothy Snyder Timothy David Snyder (born August 18, 1969) is an American historian specializing in the history of Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust. He is on leave from his position as the Richard C. Levin, Richar ...

, Mark Roseman and Richard Overy, as one of the leading German

authorities on the Holocaust Holocaust studies, or sometimes Holocaust research, is a scholarly discipline that encompasses the historical research and study of the Holocaust. Institutions dedicated to Holocaust research investigate the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinar ...

Career

Longerich studied at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

and received a Ph.D. in history and an M.A. in history and sociology. In 2002–03, Longerich was the third holder of the Visiting Chair at the Fritz Bauer Institute in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. In 2003–04, he was J.B. and Maurice Shapiro Senior Scholar in Residence at the Centre for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...

in Washington DC, where he worked on a

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

. In 2005–06, he was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen. Longerich was director of the Research Centre for the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

and Twentieth-Century History at

Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college, member institution of the federal University of London. It ...

(RHUL), where he worked alongside the late David Cesarani. In 2015, he left his position at Royal Holloway and returned to Germany. His major research interests include the history of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

, the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, and Joseph Goebbels. He has appeared in the media to comment upon the links between

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

and the Holocaust, as well as on related topics, and has published, in 2001, a book documenting Hitler's pivotal role in the Holocaust entitled ''The Unwritten Order''. The book arose from his expert testimony at the David Irving trial. Reviewing Longerich's work, Timothy Snyder declared ''Holocaust'' "profound" and ''Heinrich Himmler: A Life'' "magnificent".

Published works

English * * * * * * German * ''(1989). Die braunen Bataillone. Geschichte der SA''. Beck, Múnich. . * (1992). ''Hitlers Stellvertreter. Führung der NSDAP und Kontrolle des Staatsapparates durch den Stab Heß und Bormanns Partei-Kanzlei.'' K.G. Saur. . * (1998). ''Politik der Vernichtung. Eine Gesamtdarstellung der nationalsozialistischen Judenverfolgung''. Piper: Munich. . * (1998). ''Die Wannsee-Konferenz vom 20. Januar 1942. Planung und Beginn des Genozid an den Europäischen Juden''. Hentrich: Berlín. . * (2001). ''Der ungeschriebene Befehl. Hitler und der Weg zur „Endlösung“.'' Piper: Munich. . * (2006). ''„Davon haben wir nichts gewusst!“ Die Deutschen und die Judenverfolgung 1933–1945''. Siedler: Múnich. . * (2008). ''Heinrich Himmler: Eine Biographie''. Siedler: Munich. . * (2010). ''Goebbels. Biographie''. Siedler: Múnich. . * (2015). ''Hitler. Biographie''. Siedler: Múnich. . * (2016). ''Wannseekonferenz. Der Weg zur „Endlösung“''. Pantheon: Munich. . * (2021). ''Antisemitismus: Eine deutsche Geschichte. Von der Aufklärung bis heute''. Siedler: Munich. . * (2022). ''Außer Kontrolle. Deutschland 1923''. Molden, Wien 2022, .

References

External links

Page on Professor Peter Longerich at RHUL German Department website
* Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London German historians of the Holocaust Historians of Nazism People from Krefeld 1955 births Living people Scholars of antisemitism {{Germany-historian-stub