11 - Relations Between Right-Wing Extremists in Germany and the United States, 1945-1990

Summary

Translated by Richard Sharp

The ties between right-wing extremists in Germany and the United States have rarely received the attention of scholars, and no monographs on the subject exist. Comparative studies of the phenomenon of right-wing radicalism and extremism by social scientists are likewise extremely rare. There is a marked asymmetry in research on right-wing extremism. There has been a lively academic discussion in Germany of all aspects of the far right, but not in the United States. This asymmetry in research is inversely proportional to the importance of the American far right to its like-minded counterpart in Germany.

This chapter provides a chronological overview of the development and nature of contacts between the German and American far right between 1945 and 1990, and it concludes with a look ahead. It makes clear that transatlantic interaction between far-right groups is a relatively recent phenomenon that first became important in the early 1970s. This overview focuses so far as possible on the leading figures and trace their activities in these movements. Two decisive factors have influenced relations between right-wing extremists throughout the period: the National Socialist regime in Germany and, second, Germany's efforts to come to terms with its Nazi past and the resulting differences in German and American law.