Houston Stewart Chamberlain : Wagners Schwiegersohn, Hitlers Vordenker

Analyzes the main works of Chamberlain (1855-1927) in light of his biography and their historical context, and traces their reception. Argues that the scope of erudition reflected in his works, inter alia on Kant, Goethe, and Protestant theology, make it difficult to reduce him merely to a Nazi ideologue and visionary of the Third Reich. Pp. 267-297, "Juden und Germanen", deal with his racist views on the genesis of the Jewish people, the character of the Jewish religion, the Germans and Jews in historical context, and his solution to the "Jewish question". Pp. 553-613, "Zur NS-Rezeption Chamberlains", analyze Chamberlain's contribution to Nazi ideology, especially through his view that history is determined by "race", and that the Germans play a leading role in the war between races in Europe. Chamberlain's racially-based antisemitism was embraced by the Nazis as an integral part of their ideology, although he advocated exclusion, not extermination, of the Jews. Discusses other similarities and differences between his and the Nazis' worldviews. Includes bibliographical references (pages 617-625) and index. 636 pages : 46 illustrations ; 24 cm