Heinrich August Winkler
Encyclopedia
Heinrich August Winkler is a German
historian
.
After attending a Gymnasium in Ulm
, he studied history
, political science
, philosophy
and public law
at Münster
, Heidelberg and Tübingen. In 1970 he became professor at the Free University of Berlin
. From 1972 to 1991 he was professor at the University of Freiburg
. Since 1991 he has held a chair of modern history at the Humboldt University Berlin. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD), and has ties to numerous prominent politicians within that party, including former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
. He is the author of a book detailing a comprehensive political history of the Weimar Republic
, among others.
During the Historikerstreit
, Winkler was a leading critic of Ernst Nolte
. In an essay first published in the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper on November 14 1986, Winkler wrote of Nolte’s essay "The Past That Will Not Pass" that:
Writing of Nolte’s claim that Weizmann’s letter was a “Jewish declaration of war”, Winkler stated that “No German historian has ever accorded Hitler such a sympathetic treatment”.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
After attending a Gymnasium in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, he studied history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and public law
Public law
Public law is a theory of law governing the relationship between individuals and the state. Under this theory, constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law are sub-divisions of public law...
at Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
, Heidelberg and Tübingen. In 1970 he became professor at the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
. From 1972 to 1991 he was professor at the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
. Since 1991 he has held a chair of modern history at the Humboldt University Berlin. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD), and has ties to numerous prominent politicians within that party, including former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
. He is the author of a book detailing a comprehensive political history of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, among others.
During the Historikerstreit
Historikerstreit
The Historikerstreit was an intellectual and political controversy in late 20th-century West Germany about the historical interpretation of the Holocaust. The German word Streit translates variously as "quarrel", "dispute", or "conflict"...
, Winkler was a leading critic of Ernst Nolte
Ernst Nolte
Ernst Nolte is a German historian and philosopher. Nolte’s major interest is the comparative studies of Fascism and Communism. He is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the Free University of Berlin, where he taught from 1973 to 1991. He was previously a Professor at the University of Marburg...
. In an essay first published in the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper on November 14 1986, Winkler wrote of Nolte’s essay "The Past That Will Not Pass" that:
“Those who read the Frankfurter Allgemeine all the way through to the culture section were able to read something under the title “The Past That Will Not Pass” that no German historian to date had noticed: that Auschwitz was only a copy of a Russian original-the Stalinist Gulag Archipelago. For fear of the Bolsheviks’ Asiatic will to annihilate, Hitler himself committed an “Asiatic deed”. Was the annihilation of the Jews a kind of putative self-defence? Nolte’s speculation amounts to that.”
Writing of Nolte’s claim that Weizmann’s letter was a “Jewish declaration of war”, Winkler stated that “No German historian has ever accorded Hitler such a sympathetic treatment”.
Selected Bibliography
- In Search of Germany (with Michael MertesMichael MertesMichael Mertes is a German chief officer and author. He was a political advisor to Chancellor Helmut Kohl from 1987 to 1998, and he served in the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia as the state’s representative to the German federal institutions and to the European Union from 2006 to 2010...
and Steven MullerSteven MullerSteven Muller was the president of the Johns Hopkins University, serving from 1972 to 1990.He came to the United States in 1940, and he has been a naturalized citizen of the U.S. since 1949....
). Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick and London 1996, ISBN 1-56000-880-6 - Germany: The Long Road West. Vol. 1: 1789-1933. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2006, ISBN 978-0199265978
- Germany: The Long Road West vol. 2: 1933-1990. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2007, ISBN 978-0199265985
External links
- Prof. Dr. Heinrich August Winkler Institute für Geschichtswissenschaften. Western history staff curricula vitae. Retrieved July 27, 2011