Farewell to the era of contemporaries: National Socialism and its historical examination en route into history

Discusses the significance of demographic development on historical research on National Socialism from three aspects. Firstly, a brief reappraisal of contemporary history as a new discipline in Germany after 1945. The second part considers a number of generational aspects in the debate on National Socialism and finally, the significance of the imminent passage of National Socialism from the realm of contemporary history.