Abstract

A few years after the Nazis came to power in Germany, an alliance of states and nationalistic movements formed, revolving around the German axis. That alliance, the states involved, and the interplay between their territorial aims and those of Germany during the interwar period and World War II are at the core of this volume. This “territorial revisionism” came to include all manner of political and military measures that attempted to change existing borders. Taking into account not just interethnic relations but also the motivations of states and nationalizing ethnocratic ruling elites, this volume reconceptualizes the history of East Central Europe during World War II. In so doing, it presents a clearer understanding of some of the central topics in the history of the war itself and offers an alternative to standard German accounts of the period and East European national histories.

Dieter Langewiesche was Professor of Modern History at the University of Hamburg from 1978 to 1985 and of Medieval and Modern history at the University of Tübingen from 1985 to 2008.

Stefan Dyroff has been Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Bern since 2006.

“Overall this book represents a welcome addition to the existing scholarship on nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe, and there is much that scholars of the region can learn from the essays included in this anthology. It is well researched, and many of the authors make provocative, substantiated claims about the nature of territorial acquisition in the mid- twentieth century. This is a text that will be most useful to specialists on World War II or anyone with an already extensive knowledge of the rise of nationalism and its expressions in the region.” · Journal of Austrian Studies

“An impressive work of original and documented scholarship, [this book] provides an insightful history of a previously overlooked aspect of German expansionism as a specifically intended outcome of the Nazi government and military forces of World War II. A remarkably informed and informative study, [it] very highly recommended.” · Midwest Book Review

“…richly deserve to be read by experts in the field as it provides an excellent survey of the latest work on Eastern, Central, and Southern European history in the modern period.” · H-Soz-u-Kult

“Timely on so many fronts, this book offers scholars, students, and informed readers an instructive regional exposition of how territorial revisionist projects overcame petty nationalist regimes and impoverished the culture of a continent.” · European History Quarterly

“Enhanced with the inclusion of a List of Abbreviations, Maps, Notes on Contributors, a Select Bibliography, and a comprehensive Index, [this volume] is an original body of impressive scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic library World War II era German History reference collections and Central European History supplemental reading lists.” · World History Shelf

“This is an excellent topic, clearly defined and illuminated by some first rate articles. This volume will contribute to the scholarly literature on the Second World War (which often neglects the smaller participants), but will also enrich discussions among historians and social scientists on that key tension between states and nations.” · James Sheehan, Stanford University

“The authors are to be commended for their original research and analysis. In addressing the opportunistic goals, motives, and prejudices of revisionist elites seeking territorial gain in fragile interwar nation-states, the book makes a key contribution to the comparative and transnational history of modern East Central Europe.” · Steven Seegel, University of Northern Colorado

Marina Cattaruzza is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Bern.