Norbert Frei

Norbert Frei, born in 1955 in Frankfurt am Main, is a German historian. He was Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, where he also directed the Jena Center Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts. From 1979 to 1997, he worked at the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich; he subsequently taught at Ruhr University Bochum until 2005. His research focuses on twentieth-century German history, particularly National Socialism and its aftermath. His notable works include “Vergangenheitspolitik,” “Der Führerstaat,” and “Im Namen der Deutschen. Die Bundespräsidenten und die NS-Vergangenheit” (2023).