This book traces the activity of the neo-Nazis in Germany from the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 to the present. Lewis, who lived in Germany, based this pioneering study on first-hand research. He emphasizes the impact of unification on the growth of right-wing militancy throughout Germany--providing examples of neo-Nazi and skinhead activities--as well as the government's efforts to control the growing extremist movement. Although the movement remains relatively small, five years after unification, it is one that bears watching.

The first chapter reviews the events surrounding the unification and sets the stage for the increasingly vocal neo-Nazi movement. The primary goal of the following chapters is to trace the movement's chronological evolution from unification through the high points in 1992 and 1993 to the governmental efforts to reduce the growing threat in 1994. Key to the discussions are the examples of violence and brutality directly linked to the neo-Nazis in the 1990s. Numerous incidents are cited that reflect the sheer brutality and wanton disregard for authority in a newly formed nation struggling financially and emotionally with bringing two divergent societies together. Imbedded in the chronological dialogue are short, personal sketches of leading neo-Nazis both inside and outside Germany who directly influence the movement. The entire book encapsulates the rise, once again, of those elements of Hitler's Third Reich that were so abhorrent in the 1930s and 1940s.

This volume offers a complete overview of the continuation of Nazi influences that permeated a small portion of postwar Germany's population. Rand C. Lewis traces the history of these influences, which resulted in a small, yet growing neo-Nazi militant movement that became far more visible in the 1980s. He fully chronicles the development of this militancy, and the evolution of its use of right-wing terrorism. Unlike other scholars who call neo-Nazism a modern phenomenon, Lewis argues that there is a direct link between the Nazis and the postwar right-wing extremist movements.

Lewis's portrait of the evolution of neo-Nazism begins with a brief introduction, followed by a survey of the Nazi past up through World War II. A discussion of the postwar years covers 1945 to 1970, and develops such topics as the efforts to eliminate Nazism, the rise of right-wing political parties, and militant youth. Subsequent chapters detail right-wing extremist politics and the growth of militancy, as well as the increased extremism of the 1970s and 1980s. Also addressed are the turn to terrorism, government responses, and international connections, while a concluding chapter looks to the future and the threat neo-Nazism poses to U.S. forces and German unification. This work will be an important resource for students and scholars in the areas of European history, political science, and terrorism.