Reflecting on the Past

The final report, which was presented to the public on 26th October by the Commission for Research on the History of Münster University in the 20th Century, consists of 1,186 pages. It is part of a broad debate over Münster University's role in the period of National Socialism. The work, consisting of two books, was published by Aschendorff and is the fifth volume in the publication series of the university archive, entitled: "The University of Münster during National Socialism. Continuities and Fractures between 1920 and 1960."

The Rector of Münster University, Prof. Ursula Nelles, emphasised: "The fact that the University of Münster was burdened with guilt during the period of Nazi tyranny has been known for a long time and is firmly anchored in the collective consciousness of the university. Coming to terms with the NS-past is therefore an essential part of a necessary culture of remembrance at our university." By completing the commission's work, the University of Münster has closed a gap: "We have taken an in-depth look at ourselves and taken into account the victims' as well as the perpetrators' perspective." An anthology was published as early as 1980, alongside numerous publications on various institutions. "The current volume, however, is considerably broader and more scholarly", highlighted the rector.

What are the main results of this work? "The University of Münster was no bulwark and no place of resistance", summarised the president of the commission Prof. Hans-Ulrich Thamer from the chair of Modern History. "Nor was it a stronghold of the Nazi ideology." The influx of ideology into teaching and research and the willingness of individuals to tolerate the regime in order to advance their career are comparable to other universities.

"In this regard, the history of the university during the Nazi era was not out of the ordinary", summed up the historian. One peculiarity was, however, that a few lecturers, who were affiliated to National Socialism, were appointed to the University of Münster in the post-war period: for example, Otmar von Verschuer, Bruno K. Schultz, or Michael Lesch.

A commission with top-class experts has been working for five years to unravel the history of the University of Münster in the Nazi era. In addition to the president Hans-Ulrich Thamer, Sabine Happ, director of the University Archives Münster, and Dr. Daniel Droste, the coordinator of the commission, were also part of the team. Furthermore, employees of the City Archives Münster, the Archives of North Rhine-Westphalia and all faculties of the university were represented.

As an acknowledged expert on European fascism and National Socialism Hans-Ulrich Thamer had already dealt with the history of the University of Münster prior to the commission´s work. There have already been a few dissertation research projects in this field. The Rectorate, chaired by Ursula Nelles, decided in 2007 that the history of the University of Münster during the Nazi period should be examined in detail and a commission of experts for an extensive investigation on the Nazi history of the university should be established. Previously, clarifying the case of the physician Prof. Karl Wilhelm Jötten, which was investigated by a commission of historians commissioned by the Head of the Faculty of Medicine, triggered further investigations. The former director of the Institute of Hygiene hit the headlines because he had supervised doctoral theses during the Nazi period which were based on eugenic investigations. The commission took a closer look at Jötten's scientific work.

The aim of the work of the NS-Commission was to gain thorough and valid results, said Hans-Ulrich Thamer. The team has succeeded in that, emphasised the historian at the presentation of the final report. "We were able to draw a very detailed picture of the interactions between academia and politics in the Nazi era and in so doing we have pushed forward the historiography of the university." It was not only about tracing back the history of an institution and its people in a particular historical period, he pointed out. "Academia and politics had a complex interrelation. And without considering the social context and the economic conditions, one can not evaluate the actions of people." The researchers have not only closely examined the situation at the University of Münster from 1933 to 1945, but also backtracked the developments and structures to the 1920s and took changes after 1945 into account, as is common practice in the current research of the Nazi period.

The final report of the commission consists of two volumes and is divided into three major parts. In the first part, the university is looked at as an institution. Here, the chapters deal with subjects like the role of rectors and curators, the revocation of doctoral degrees and with the student representative bodies. In the second part, the authors devote themselves to the role of faculties and institutes and examine these roles carefully. The third part focuses exclusively on individual scholars, whose behaviour is considered and classified.

Translated by students from the English Seminar:

Christina Remest

Judith Ernst

Katrin Olberding

Sara Thiemann