Andreas Hillgruber
Andreas Hillgruber was a notable German historian born on January 18, 1925, in Angerburg, Germany, now Wegorzewo, Poland. His academic journey began after he served in the German Army during World War II and spent time as a prisoner of war in France from 1945 to 1948. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen in 1952 and subsequently taught history in high schools before moving to higher education, with a significant tenure at the University of Cologne from 1972 until his death in 1989. Hillgruber specialized in modern and contemporary history, focusing on German history from 1871 to 1945 and examining the political and military thought that shaped German foreign policy.
Throughout his career, he published works in both German and English, aiming for international readership. Hillgruber's scholarship, particularly his views on the Holocaust in works like "The Destruction of the German Reich and the End of European Judaism," has sparked controversy, drawing criticism for perceived conservative and imperialist viewpoints while also being acknowledged for addressing the moral complexities of World War II. His legacy includes a complex reputation, with both critical and supportive perspectives on his analyses of Germany's historical narrative.
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Andreas Hillgruber
Writer
- Born: January 18, 1925
- Birthplace: Angerburg, Germany (now Wegorzewo, Poland)
- Died: May 8, 1989
- Place of death: Cologne, Germany
Biography
Andreas Fritz Hillgruber was born on January 18, 1925, in what was then Angerburg, Germany, but is now Wegorzewo, Poland. His parents were Andreas Hillgruber, a high-school teacher, and Irmgard Schilling Hillgruber. In 1943, in the middle of World War II, the eighteen-year-old Hillgruber joined the German Army. He was a prisoner of war in France from 1945 to 1948.
When he returned home, Hillgruber entered the University of Göttingen, earning a Ph.D. in 1952. He followed his father’s footsteps to become a high-school teacher, teaching history in various cities in West Germany from 1954 to 1964. He began teaching college in 1965, specializing in modern and contemporary history. His longest tenure was at the University of Cologne, where he was a professor from 1972 until his death after a long illness on May 8, 1989. Hillgruber married Karin Zierau in 1960, and they had three children: Michael, Christian, and Gabriele. He began his writing career in 1954, with Hitler, King Carol, and Marshall Antonescu.
Although his first language was German, he wrote many of his books about German history in English, for international distribution. His work emphasized the history of Germany from 1871 to 1945, analyzing the continuity of political and military thinking behind German foreign policy. In the 1980’s he wrote, often in collaboration with other scholars, fifteen scholarly studies in German. Throughout his career, he contributed articles to scholarly journals in English and German.
Hillgruber is considered a conservative historian, arguing that in spite of the Holocaust, Germany was capable of greatness. His views on the Holocaust, particularly those put forth in The Destruction of the German Reich and the End of European Judaism (1986), are the topic of scholarly controversy. He has been called a racist and an imperialist by his detractors but praised by his defenders for his analysis of the moral complexity of World War II.