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Rüdiger Hachtmann

The Kaiser Wilhelm Society 1933 to 1945

Keywords: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft, Ernst Telschow, Großforschung im Dritten Reich

The forefront of German science was institutionalised in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (KWG) until 1945. Therefore the KWG is especially suitable for the analysis of the relations between science and politics during the “Third Reich” in general. Contrary to the interpretation favoured by contemporaries after 1945 as well as some historians, the history of the KWG during the Nazi dictatorship was no struggle for survival. Measured by the usual criteria, it looks rather like a “success story”. The article investigates the most important areas of activity of the General Administration (GV) of the KWG – especially during the era of General Secretary Ernst Telschow beginning in 1937 – and also deals with the central question of the integration of the KWG into the Nazi system.

Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag

Print ISSN: 0042-5702
Volume: 56, 01/2008
Pages: 19 - 52

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