Research
The Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies e. V. at the TU Dresden (HAIT) explores the history of Nazism, Communism and the transformation after 1989, as well as manifestations of political extremism in history and the present. This work breaks down into five areas of research:
- Research on the National Socialist dictatorship
- Research in the history of Communist dictatorships, especially the SED (Socialist Unity Party) dictatorship
- Transformation research from an internationally comparative perspective
- Theoretical and intellectual-historical foundations of dictatorship research
- Research on political extremism
All this research focusses on the
political, social and cultural developments during the National Socialist and
SED dictatorships. Examined are their political and ideological preconditions,
their organisational structures and the concrete impacts of the two systems of
rule. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of opposition and
resistance. Comparative perspectives on other fascist and state socialist
systems extend the Institute's research programme, which also includes the
critical analysis of political extremism in history and the present. The
Institute's historical studies extend beyond 1989. The aftermath of the
dictatorships necessitates a differentiated view in the context of comparative
transformation research through the present. This transformation research is
not limited to the system transformation in 1989, but also includes European
transformational processes throughout the 20th century. This area of research
thus ties in with the key issue in totalitarianism research
of how dictatorial rule is enabled and overcome in modern societies.
The HAIT is also dedicated to the study of
current challenges and threats to democracy from autocratic and fundamentalist
regimes as well as from extremist, racist and anti-Semitic attitudes and
movements. The HAIT accordingly perceives itself as an interface between
regional, national and transnational spaces of political experience in an age
of redefining designs for a free and democratic society.
Another central component of research activity at the HAIT is the dissemination of results to a general public. This includes working with memorial sites and governmental and non-governmental institutions of political education, advising on matters of regional and national contemporary history and collaborating with teacher-training institutions and schools.