History and Political Science

History and Political Science
Tacitus
Project description
Background:
A Roman senator named Tacitus wrote Germany, his description of the
German people, during the late first century CE. He composed this work nearly a century after the Germans had successfully resisted being integrated into a Roman province (the battle of Teutoburg forest in 9 CE) and shortly after the remnants of Rome’s Senate had survived the murderous reign of Domitian (81-­-96 CE).
According to A Most Dangerous Book, recently written by Christopher Krebs, Tacitus’ Germany has often been embraced by German nationalists in the modern period. In fact, Heinrich Himmler, head of Hitler’s SS, thought that his views of the Germans as a master race were supported by Tacitus’ Germany.
Question:
Based on your knowledge of the issues that Tacitus was exploring in his
Germany, how can you refute Himmler’s viewpoint?