Nikolaus Daniel Wachsmann (born 1971) is a professor of modern European history in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

Academic career

Wachsmann was born in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. He graduated from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

(BSc) degree, from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

with a taught

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

(MPhil) degree, and from the

with a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree. His

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

, which he completed in 2001, was titled "Reform and Repression: Prisons and Penal Policy in Germany, 1918–1939". In October 1998, Wachsmann began his academic career as a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

. He was then a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. In 2005, he joined the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology of

Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...

. He is the author of the 2004 book, Hitler's Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany and the 2015 book KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps. He is currently writing a new history of Auschwitz.

Personal life

Wachsmann resides in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Awards and honours

*2004

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

Gladstone History Book Prize, winner for ''Hitler's Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany'' *2016

Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize The Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Literary Prize is an annual British literary prize inaugurated in 1977. It is named after the host ''Jewish Quarterly'' and the prize's founder Harold Hyam Wingate. The award recognises Jewish and non-Jewish writers r ...

, winner for ''KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps'' *2016

Mark Lynton History Prize The Mark Lynton History Prize is an annual award in the amount of $10,000 given to a book "of history, on any subject, that best combines intellectual or scholarly distinction with felicity of expression". The prize is one of three awards given as p ...

, winner for ''KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps'' *2016

Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...

, winner for ''KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps''

Selected publications

*''KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps'' (New York, London, 2015) *''Die Linke im Visier. Zur Errichtung der Konzentrationslager 1933'' (Göttingen, 2014), co-edited with Professor Sybille Steinbacher *''The Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933-1939: A Documentary History'' (Lincoln, 2012), co-edited with Dr. Christian Goeschel *''Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany: The New Histories'' (London, 2010), co-edited with Professor Jane Caplan *"Before the Holocaust: New Approaches to the Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933-1939", special issue of ''

Journal of Contemporary History The ''Journal of Contemporary History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of history in all parts of the world since 1930. It was established in 1966 by Walter Laqueur and George L. Mosse. Originally published by Wei ...

'' 45 (2010), Nr. 3, co-edited with Dr. Christian Goeschel *''Hitler's Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).

References

External links

KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmann

1971 births Living people Academics of Birkbeck, University of London Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London Academics of the University of Sheffield Historians of Nazism Historians of the Holocaust German emigrants to the United Kingdom {{germany-historian-stub