Religion, Ethnicity, Loyalty: Lessons from Central Europe

This presentation by Tim Olin, assistant professor of history, will explore the relationship between religion, ethnicity, and perceived loyalty to the state. By looking at the Habsburg monarchy in the eighteenth century and the German Nazi government in the 1930s, we will attempt to distill how governments determine the potential for loyalty, disloyalty, and belonging in their populations. We will then see what lessons this exploration provides for us in our modern context.