Ian Kershaw
One of Kershaw's most important ideas is the idea of "working towards the Führer". (Hitler called himself the "Führer", a German word for "leader".) This is his idea about why the Nazi government caused World War II, the Holocaust and other mass killings. Kershaw believes that they cannot simply be blamed on just one person, and it is more important to study the rest of the Nazi government and German society. However, unlike his friend Hans Mommsen, Kershaw does not believe that Hitler was a weak ruler. Instead, he thinks that Hitler was powerful but lazy. He believes that events like the Holocaust happened because Hitler's followers were working towards what they thought Hitler wanted them to do.