Ernst Nolte

Ernst Nolte (11 January 1923 – 18 August 2016) was a German historian and philosopher, noted for his comparative studies of fascism and communism. Originally trained in philosophy, he held the position of professor emeritus of modern history at the Free University of Berlin. His seminal work, 'Fascism in Its Epoch', published in 1963, argued that fascism arose as a form of resistance to modernity. Nolte was a prominent conservative academic and played a significant role in the 'Historikerstreit' (Historians' Dispute) in the late 1980s, which concerned the interpretation of the Nazi era. In his later years, he focused on Islamism and 'Islamic fascism'.