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The Politics of the Nazi Past in Germany and Austria

This book argues that Germans and Austrians have dealt with the Nazi

past very differently and that these differences have had important con-

sequences for political culture and partisan politics in the two countries.

Drawing on different literatures in political science, David Art builds a

framework for understanding how public deliberation transforms the

political environment in which it occurs. The book analyzes how public

debates about the “lessons of history” created a culture of contrition in

Germany that prevented a resurgent far right from consolidating itself in

German politics after uniﬁcation. By contrast, public debates in Austria

nourished a culture of victimization that provided a hospitable environ-

ment for the rise of right-wing populism. The argument is supported by

evidence from nearly

200

semistructured interviews and an analysis of

the German and Austrian print media over a twenty-year period.

David Art is an assistant professor of political science at the College of

the Holy Cross. He teaches courses in European politics, international

relations, and globalization. He received his B.A. from Yale University

and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His cur-

rent research focuses on the development of right-wing populist parties

in comparative and historical perspective.

The Politics of the Nazi Past in

Germany and Austria

DAVID ART

College of the Holy Cross