Abstract

What were the main points of contact and of cohesion between conservatives and National Socialists? In what way did some of the conservatives contribute to the rise and implementation of National Socialism? This essay provides an overview of the conservative German nobility and its attitudes towards National Socialism. The aggressive Nazi foreign and military policy and the development of the Second World War slowly changed the perspective of the aristocracy and led to processes of (inner) distancing from the regime as well as to plans and actions of resistance. After 1945 there was no far-reaching reckoning with the conservative supporters of National Socialism. An interesting example is the House of Hohenzollern, which today is claiming compensation for its partial expropriation in 1945.