Hans Mommsen
'Hans Mommsen (1930-) is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the Ruhr University in Bochum, and a German historian who has written extensively, preferring articles and essays to books. He belongs to the Social Democratic Party and, from a left-wing perspective, has challenged the Hitler writing of the right-wing journalist and historian, Joachim Fest.
He has led the functionalist school of Hitler historiography. By the 1970s, there were two main schools of Hitler biography: the functionalists and the intentionalists. Functionalists saw Hitler as motivated by the exercise of power regardless of purpose, while the intentionalists focused on his specific vision.
According to Machter, Hans Mommsen was the leader of the functionalists. He considered Hitler a "political counterfeiter" who succeeded because he was constantly overrated, extremely effective with propaganda but not in performance. [1] Machter considers Ian Kershaw to be the leading current historian, attempting to unify the two schools. [2]
References
- ↑ Hans Mommsen. Hitlers Stellung im nationalsoczialistenschen Herrschaftsystem, p. 144, quoted by Machter, p. 12
- ↑ Lothar Machtan (2001), The Hidden Hitler, Basic Books, pp. 1-15