In both Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy, classical literature and history were appropriated to provide a mythic origin and justification for fascist politics. In this episode, Shivaike talks to Helen Roche, Associate Professor of Modern European Cultural History at Durham University, about the relationship between Classics, Fascism, and colonialism. Helen discusses her research, which explores the way that ancient Greek education was co-opted by Nazi Germany. Looking back to the eighteenth century and forward to modern Europe, Helen and Shivaike explore why notions of classical superiority and desirability have held such sway in right-wing states.

To find out more about this topic, check out the reading list on our website: https://www.khameleonproductions.org/classics-in-nazi-germany