These two extremely important books take the reader on a journey through German history vis-à-vis its relationships, perceptions and attitudes towards Turkey during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. In his meticulously documented works, Stefan Ihrig, currently Polonsky Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, presents original, highly convincing and thoughtful scholarship on the German-Turkish space, while analysing the parallels and connections between the Armenian Genocide and Nazi Holocaust.
Historians have long been fascinated with the rise of Adolf Hitler; but what was Hitler intrigued by and what factors inspired the development of Nazi ideology and strategy? Ataturk in the Nazi Imagination is a compelling and ground-breaking piece of work. Based upon a thorough and comprehensive study of the German right wing print media, Ihrig clearly demonstrates how Hitler was indeed inspired by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his reconstruction of Turkey.
Hitler was profoundly interested in Turkish affairs after 1919. The Nazis witnessed how Ataturk defied the Entente Powers, rejected the humiliation of the Treaty of Sèvres and oversaw the radical reconstruction of a modern nation from the ashes of defeat in WW1. Ihrig argues that Turkey and Ataturk played a role in the development of “Nazi policy development, myths, goals and the overall ideology of the Third Reich.” The Nazi admiration for Ataturk and his new Turkey were clearly evident in their strategy for the remaking of Germany: the creation of a nationalist, secular and totalitarian state which turned to armed volkisch struggle. This new nationalist vision was along ethnically exclusive lines and sought to “purify” the nation of its “parasites”. Turkey essentially became “a role model” for the Nazis, and Ataturk was Hitler’s “Star in the Darkness.”
Continuing on the theme of the German-Turkish connection, in his work Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler, Ihrig once again presents an original, thought provoking piece of scholarly work. This is not an Armenian or Turkish story; rather it is a German story looking at the events directly before, during and after WW1 through the lens of German society.
This book covers the time period from the 1870’s to the Holocaust. Ihrig clearly states that the core argument is simple: “the Armenian Genocide was and is of towering importance for German history, even though its role there has so far been largely ignored.” The Armenian Genocide was exhaustively written about, debated, discussed and analysed in the German written media at the time. Ihrig convincingly shows how, in many nationalist newspapers, this followed a three step progression - denial, acceptance and finally “justificationalism”.
Throughout the various stages of this historical narrative, the reader is accompanied by four main protagonists or as Ihrig calls them, “genocide warriors” - Johannes Lepsius, Max Erwin Scheubner-Richter, Armin T. Wegner and Franz Werfel. These clearly distinct historical figures all had one issue that united them: their quest to raise the alarm in Germany about genocide.
In conclusion, both of Stefan Ihrig’s books represent a significant contribution to the study of German attitudes, policies and reactions to the Armenian Genocide. The result is original, well-documented scholarship which provides new insights into the highly complex German- Turkish relationship.
Written by Richard Mourad Anooshian
Originally published in Bardez, AI’s periodical in 2013-2020