Bourgeois Germans and the Third Reich

During the Third Reich, German political, social, economic, and private life was transformed to such an extent that the Holocaust became thinkable and, ultimately, possible. Yet many Germans maintained a ‘not Nazi’ subjectivity, drawing a line between themselves and overly zealous ‘150%’ Nazis. This talk uses the extensive private collection of letters and documents of Annemarie and Heinrich Brenzinger, Sandra Lipner’s great-grandparents from south-west Germany, to discuss why bourgeois Germans who were not enthusiastic about Hitler still willingly embraced the Third Reich.

Sandra Lipner is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in History at University College London, working on the AHRC / DFGproject ‘Good Citizens, Terrible Times: Notions of Individuality, Community and Responsibility in the Holocaust’. She completed her AHRC- funded PhD in History and German Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her work explores the use of ego-documents as sources for a history of mentalities of the Third Reich and the early postwar period. In 2023, she co-curated the exhibition ‘Holocaust Letters’ at the Wiener Holocaust Library, London.

https://www.lbilondon.ac.uk/lipner-26

This year’s lecture series explores the diverse ways in which the German past shapes its present – in memory, identity, and political culture. From the everyday complicity of the German bourgeoisie under National Socialism to Jewish life and Holocaust commemoration in the GDR, these lectures illuminate the lingering legacies and unresolved tensions of the 20th century. They also turn outwards, tracing the paths of German- speaking Jewish refugees outside Europe and questioning the persistence and transformation of antisemitism today. Together, they offer critical insights into the afterlife of the German past and its significance for the moral and political questions of our time.

Lectures in this series will be held at the German Historical Institute London, 17 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2NJ, and will also be live streamed on Zoom. Admission is free, but places are strictly limited and must be reserved in advance via Eventbrite. Lectures will begin promptly; latecomers may not be admitted.

Zoom links will be shared with registered participants closer to the date of each event. Further details will be circulated via our mailing list, social media channels, and website.

Organised by the Leo Baeck Institute London in cooperation with the German Historical Institute London.

Overview of the 2026 Lecture Series

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Host or Publisher Leo Baeck Institute London