Fritz Fischer

Fritz Fischer (March 5, 1908- December 1, 1999) was a German historian best known for his analysis of the causes of World War I. Fischer was born in Ludwigstadt in Bavaria. His father was a railroad inspector. Educated at grammar schools in Ansbach and Eichstätt, Fischer attended the University of Berlin and the University of Erlangen, where he studied history, pedagogy, philosophy and theology. In 1942, Fischer married Margarete Lauth-Volkmann, with whom he fathered two children. Fischer served in the Wehrmacht in World War II. After his release from an POW camp in 1947, Fischer began serving as professor at the University of Hamburg, where he stayed until his retirement in 1978. In 1949, at the first post-war German historians' congress, in Munich, Fischer strongly criticized the Lutheran tradition in German life, accusing the Lutheran church of glorifying the state at the expense of individual liberties and thus helping to bring about Nazi Germany.

Criticisms

Fischer stirred up much controversy with his books, particularly in Germany. His arguments sparked so much anger that Fischer's publisher's office in Hamburg was firebombed. Fischer's works inspired other historians, such as Gerhard Ritter, to write books and articles in direct response to Fischer's thesis.

Related Topics:
Hamburg - Gerhard Ritter

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Some critics contend that Fischer placed Germany outside the proper historical context. Germany was not uniquely aggressive amongst European nations of the early 20th century, a time when Darwinian ideals of struggle were popular throughout European governing circles. Fischer's timetable has also been criticized as inaccurate. Hollweg's "September Programme"http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/ralph/workbook/ralprs34.htm outlining German war aims was not produced until after the war had begun and was still going well for Germany. At the same time, other powers had been harboring similarly grandiose plans.

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