Arthur Seyß-Inquart. Biography of a national-socialist

Until now, there has been no critical scholarly biography of Arthur Seyß-Inquart, despite the fact that he held a number of prominent positions during the 1930s and 1940s within the Third Reich, and that he was among the major Nazi figures accused at the Nuremberg war crimes trial (where he was sentenced to death and actually executed). Seyß-Inquart`s development from someone who was socialized within the Catholic Church and was a großdeutsch-oriented conservative under the first Austrian Republic to that of `gravedigger` of the Austrian `Corporatist dictatorship`, and later, a senior National Socialist functionary in Austria (the Ostmark), the General Government of Poland, and the occupied Netherlands still awaits systematic investigation. The aim of the proposed research project is to provide a thorough, fully rounded analysis of the development of Seyß-Inquart`s personal character and of his political and social activities. Using a broad range of sources, the first step in this process will be to trace his path towards National Socialism, and then to examine his career within the Nazi party by reconstructing the evolution of his political beliefs and his self-image. Secondly, it will be necessary to examine Seyß-Inquart`s position within the polycratic structure of the Third Reich. Overall, both strands of enquiry will aim to assess the significance of Arthur Seyß-Inquart as a member of the Nazi elite within the Third Reich, and his role in the Second World War and the Holocaust. Thematically, this project will emphasize in particular Seyß-Inquart`s role in the the `Anschluß` with Austria and the creation of the `Ostmark`, as well as his functions in Poland and the Netherlands.

Until now, there has been no critical scholarly biography of Arthur Seyß-Inquart, despite the fact that he held a number of prominent positions during the 1930s and 1940s within the Third Reich, and that he was among the major Nazi figures accused at the Nuremberg war crimes trial (where he was sentenced to death and actually executed). Seyß-Inquart`s development from someone who was socialized within the Catholic Church and was a großdeutsch-oriented conservative under the first Austrian Republic to that of "gravedigger" of the Austrian "Corporatist dictatorship", and later, a senior National Socialist functionary in Austria (the Ostmark), the General Government of Poland, and the occupied Netherlands still awaits systematic investigation. The aim of the proposed research project is to provide a thorough, fully rounded analysis of the development of Seyß-Inquart`s personal character and of his political and social activities. Using a broad range of sources, the first step in this process will be to trace his path towards National Socialism, and then to examine his career within the Nazi party by reconstructing the evolution of his political beliefs and his self-image. Secondly, it will be necessary to examine Seyß-Inquart`s position within the polycratic structure of the Third Reich. Overall, both strands of enquiry will aim to assess the significance of Arthur Seyß-Inquart as a member of the Nazi elite within the Third Reich, and his role in the Second World War and the Holocaust. Thematically, this project will emphasize in particular Seyß-Inquart`s role in the the "Anschluß" with Austria and the creation of the "Ostmark", as well as his functions in Poland and the Netherlands.