A History of the Prussian Junkers
Description:... Surveys the rise of the Prussian nobility from medieval times and their role in politics. From the late 19th century on, the Prussian Junkers' conservatism became more nationalistic, "völkisch", and antisemitic. Influenced by the Agrarian League, which defended landowners' interests, the Conservative Party adopted an antisemitic platform in 1892. Describes the Junkers' opposition to the Weimar Republic and determination to maintain their supremacy in rural districts, opposing "Jewish influence". In 1920 the organization of nobles, the Deutsche Adelgenossenschaft, adopted the racist "Aryan paragraph". The Landbund, successor to the Agrarian League, was increasingly dominated by the Nazis. Junker influence on Hindenburg helped bring Hitler to power. Ch. 10 (p. 179-190) describes the Junkers' loss of political and social status after 1933; some rose to prominence in the SS or the army, usually without identifying with Nazi ideology. A small minority resisted, some of them influenced by reports on the massacre of Jews.
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