With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Wagner's great-granddaughter to probe composer's family links with Hitler and the Nazis

For decades the shadow of Nazism has hung over the descendants of Richard Wagner.

His monumental music was embraced by Hitler while, 50 years after his death, the composer's family were favourites of the dictator and his cronies.

Now Wagner's 31-year-old great granddaughter Katharina says she wants to establish the truth about her ancestors' links to the Nazis - most particularly whether her grandmother was the Fuhrer's secret lover.

Her decision has horrified other members of the Wagner dynasty, who fear it will bring only more trouble on the family.

She plans to invite researchers to probe the family's Nazi links much in the same way that many German businesses investigated how their firms were run during the Third Reich's 12-year lifespan.

Read entire article at Daily Mail (UK)