Thomas Nipperdey (27 October 1927, Cologne – 14 June 1992, Munich) was a German historian best known for his monumental and exhaustive studies of Germany from 1800 to 1918.
While he never finished a book on the post-1918 era, he wrote articles that analyze the phenomena of National Socialism in terms of modernization theory.
He studied the preconditions, processes, and stages of several crises of modernisation in 19th and 20th century Germany, and attempted to interpret the rise of fascism in terms of the interplay and interdependence of modernizing and antimodern forces in society.
For example, it made effective use of newspapers, films, and mass rallies, demonstrating a firm grasp of the latest propaganda techniques.
He tries to synthesize a wide range of topics from everyday life, social history, cultural themes, and monuments, to industry and economics, urbanization, political parties, religion, high-level military diplomacy, and warfare.