Before the Holocaust: Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany, 1933-1939

The Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War and the Holocaust have been heavily researched and continue to deserve much scholarly attention. But what about the early years of Nazi rule? This AHRC-funded research project looks at the Nazi concentration camp system between 1933 and 1939, trying to uncover the foundations for wartime terror.

The research project explores the Nazi camps from three perspectives, which shed light on the intricate relationship between terror, state and society in the Third Reich. First, it examines the camps from the regime’s standpoint, analysing the changing function of the camps within the Nazi dictatorship. Second, it studies the conditions within the camps, as well as the various inmate groups and their relationships to each other. Third, the project looks at the relationship between the camps and the German population, asking what ordinary people knew about the camps.

These aspects are explored in four PhD dissertations linked to this research project. They are also central for the compilation and edition of a primary source collection on the camps, 1933-1939, which will promote research and teaching on the neglected pre-war history of the concentration camps and encourage debate on the role of discipline, order and terror in modern dictatorships more generally.

This project is funded by