Michael Burleigh is a British author and historian whose work often delves into the darker aspects of human nature and totalitarian ideologies. Through deep historical research, he examines how radical beliefs can devolve into destructive forces. His writing is notable for its intellectual depth and its ability to uncover unsettling truths about the past and present. Readers will appreciate his analytical approach to history and his skill in connecting seemingly disparate events into a coherent narrative.
12 leading historians from Germany, Britain, America and Israel ask what impact the Nazi regime had on German society. They also analyse the Nazi's racial policy and consider to what extent big business was in collusion with the Third Reich
This examination of the Second World War explores the moral sentiment of entire societies and their leaders, and how this changed under the impact of total war. Opening with the 'predators' - Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito - Burleigh analyses the moral dimensions and the war's most important moments.
This one-volume account of the Third Reich includes straightforward narrative history and analytic explanation while examining the religious enthusiasm and elemental passions generated by mass fascism.
Exploring the evolution of terrorism, Michael Burleigh traces its roots from early movements like the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Russian Nihilists to contemporary threats driven by fundamentalism. The book delves into the lives of those involved in political violence and the impact on victims, providing a comprehensive view of the ongoing global crisis. Burleigh's authoritative narrative offers insights into the historical and social contexts of terrorism, emphasizing its enduring presence and the challenges it poses for the future.
Distinguished historian and acclaimed author of "Earthly Powers" and "The Third Reich" offers a sweeping, deeply insightful history of terrorism from its 19th-century European and American origins to today's global threat fueled by fundamentalists. color photo insert.
In the decades since the end of the Second World War, it has been widely assumed that the western model of liberal democracy and free trade is the way the world should be governed. However, events in the early years of the twenty-first century - first, the 2003 war with Iraq and its chaotic aftermath and, second, the financial crash of 2008 - have…
We are said to be living in an age of anger, and national populist movements are often identified as its political manifestation. In Populism Michael Burleigh explores this new global era, drawing on his Engelsberg Lectures. The first chapter explores the nature of mass anger, mainly in Europe and the US: how might popular discontent be artificially incited and sustained by elite figures claiming to speak for the common people? The second chapter compares the difficult aftermaths of empire in Britain and Russia. Has that experience fostered these countries' sense of exceptionality and inability to evolve into normal societies? Many national populist movements exploit History, as we saw with the so-called 'statue wars' reignited in 2020. The third chapter ranges across Europe, but also China, where a nationalised version of History has become intrinsic to social support for the ruling Communist Party. In the short term, COVID-19 has created problems for several populist leaders, whose image has suffered amidst the public's new-found respect for expertise and unfavourable comparisons with less shouty politicians who have handled the pandemic differently. Yet, with the looming risk of an extended economic depression, Burleigh fears that new post-populists may arise in the long run.
A forensic account of political assassinations from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
A Study of Ostforschung in the Third Reich
A study of how relations between the Nazi regime and contemporary scholarly experts on eastern Europe eventually set an entire academic discipline on a path to biological racism through Nazi manipulation.
Von der Französischen Revolution bis Al Qaida – Religion und Politik in Europa Seit dem 18. Jahrhundert wandten sich viele Europäer von Gott und der Kirche ab und suchten ihr Heil in neuen politischen Religionen wie dem Jakobinertum, Kommunismus oder Nationalsozialismus, was blutige Konsequenzen hatte. Michael Burleigh analysiert in diesem Standardwerk den Konflikt zwischen Politik und Religion und zeigt, wie messianischer Eifer die europäische Geschichte prägte. Er spannt einen Bogen von den Wirren der Französischen Revolution bis zum gegenwärtigen Krieg gegen den islamistischen Terror. Burleigh erläutert die Entstehung politischer Religionen aus dem Zusammenbruch alter Machtverhältnisse und Glaubenssysteme. Zunächst beschreibt er die Abkehr Europas vom christlichen Glauben und zeigt, wie neue Heilserwartungen im Sozialismus und Nationalismus aufkamen, die sich schließlich zu den großen Geißeln des 20. Jahrhunderts – Nationalsozialismus und Kommunismus – entwickelten. Auch in der heutigen Zeit zeigt sich die Rückkehr der Religion, die Burleigh überzeugend als nie wirklich verschwunden darstellt. Dieses Werk bietet einen neuen Blick auf die entscheidenden Triebkräfte der europäischen Geschichte und wird sicherlich für kontroverse Debatten sorgen.
