German historian and philosopher with a major interest is the comparative studies of Fascism and Communism

Originally trained in philosophy, he is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the Free University of Berlin, where he taught from 1973 until his 1991 retirement. He was previously a Professor at the University of Marburg from 1965 to 1973.

He is best known for his seminal work Fascism In Its Epoch, which received widespread acclaim when it was published in 1963.

Nolte has been a prominent conservative academic since the early 1960s, and involved in many controversies related to the interpretation of the history of fascism and communism.

In recent years, Nolte has focused on Islamism and "Islamic fascism". He is the father of legal scholar Georg Nolte.