Perpetrator Behavior in Nazi Germany: A Conversation with Dr. Edward Westermann

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Edward Westermann focusing on his research around perpetrator behavior in Nazi Germany. By examining the stories and choices of perpetrators, bystanders, upstanders, and rescuers during the Holocaust, we are not only better able to understand what happened during this crucial period of the twentieth century but can reach a deeper understanding of the range of human behavior in any time of crisis.

This webinar explored new scholarship about the role of alcohol consumption in the Third Reich and its connection to atrocities in Eastern Europe. Participants gained insights into the mindsets of Nazi officers and how to help students grapple with difficult moral questions. By examining what led some to limit their universes of obligation and see the lives of others as not worth protecting, we can better understand the forces in our own lives that might encourage us to act cruelly or inhumanely, or to ignore such actions by others.

We are grateful to The Hammer Family for supporting the development of our on-demand learning and teaching resources.