How do genocidal systems collapse? What is the fate of genocidal people? The presentation depicts the odyssey Heinrich Himmler in his last days, as he left the Führerbunker and fled from Berlin to various outposts and hideouts in northern Germany, while she traces the psychological and physical changes of this mass murderer and most hunted war criminal in history. It shows how the tentacles of his power unravel and how this was part of the collapse of the Third Reich. At the same time, Himmler was debating the fate of millions of people held in concentration camps with the World Jewish Congress, trying to negotiate peace with the Western Allies, and obsessing about maintaining his reputation in the press. His escape, his capture, his interrogations, his suicide in British custody on May 23, 1945 and, last but not least, the fate of his remains, including his brain (which was removed to study evil), are recounted in the Simon Wiesenthal Lecture with Wendy Lower and Jonathan Petropoulos explained and placed in historical context.
Wendy Lower is Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College (USA), where she directs the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights. She is chair of the Academic Committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and has published numerous books, including “Hitler’s Helpers. German Women in the Holocaust” (S. Fischer, 2016) and her latest book “The Ravine: A Family, A Photograph, A Holocaust Massacre Revealed” (2021, winner of the National Jewish Book Award).
Jonathan Petropoulos is Professor of European History at Claremont McKenna College and author of various publications, including “Göring’s Man in Paris: The Story of a Nazi Art Plunderer and His World” (2021). From 1998 to 2000, he was research director for arts and cultural assets on the Presidential Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States.
Wendy Lower & Jonathan Petropoulos: Heinrich Himmler: “The Last Days of a Genocidaire and What it Tells Us Today”
Simon Wiesenthal Lecture Registration at: anmelde@vwi.ac.at By participating in this event, you agree to the publication of photos, video and audio recordings that are created as part of the event.
Datum: November 27, 2024, 6:30 p.m
Art: Lectures and discussions
Ort: Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (VWI)
Rabensteig 3
1010 Wien
Austria
URL: https://bit.ly/SWL-Lower-Petropoulos
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