Why did Hitler rise to power? This much-asked question was the title of a study conducted in 1934 with convinced Nazi supporters, whose autobiographies are the subject of the contributions in this volume. The self-testimonies of former National Socialists and expelled Germans are also used to trace individual and collective biographical processes. The authors address, for example, orientation mechanisms in national "we"-communities, motives for entry and strategies for exoneration. The contributors this indirectly and directly ask which research perspectives and knowledge potentials can be generated from the diverse manuscripts.

Prof. Dr. Detlef Garz, Seniorprofessor, Institut für Pädagogik, Allgemeine Pädagogik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel Prof. Dr. Nicole Welter, Professorin, Institut für Pädagogik, Allgemeine Pädagogik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel