The Nazi Past of the ‘Reichsarchiv’ and it's Meaning for Domestic German Archival Policy after 1945

in cooperation with the Bundesarchiv
Researcher: Peter-Ulrich Weiß

German archives had willingly worked with the Nazi administration after 1933 and had actively supported its authority during the ‘Third Reich’. For most archives, their actions did not have any consequences after 1945. The aim of the project was, firstly, to investigate the involvement of the ‘Reichsarchiv’ and its employees in the Nazi system. And secondly, to examine how its successors in East and West Germany (‘Deutsches Zentralarchiv / Zentrales Staatsarchiv der DDR’ and ‘Bundesarchiv’, respectively) have handled their ‘brown heritage’. A feasibility study analysed the state of the available sources, produce a research design and develop early hypotheses.