History Commons^™

The Berlin Airlift And Its Humanitarian And The Pr Aspect, Madalyn Stead

2024 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity - Documents

The Berlin Airlift, or die Berliner Luftbrücke, was one of the most dramatic events of the Cold War. While the Cold War lasted forty-five years, from 1947 to 1991, the Berlin Airlift took place at the very beginning, from 1948-1949. It was a great humanitarian effort, and is respected as one of the United States’ “finest hours,” as author Andrei Cherney titled it. It was presented as such through media, the news, and even pop culture. Curating it to look good was a carefully done job, but that should not always take away from the people who are involved in …

Uncovering Emotional Contamination: Five Sites Of Trauma, Abigail Zola

Masters Theses

“Emotional contamination,” describes residual feelings associated with a space where a negative or tragic event occurred to an individual or group either personally, historically, or politically. Emotional contamination affects people’s associations with place and informs their willingness to spend time in them. This project considers a set of design principles rooted in uncovering and acknowledging the lifespan of a site, and considers how this acknowledgment can exist as an urban system rather than an individual architectural artifact. My thesis work analyzes five case studies in Berlin where political and economic factors determined the result of intervention, and how these sites …

Review Of J.W. Mohnhaupt, The Zookeepers' War, Carol A. Leibiger

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Survival Strategies: Historic Preservation, Jewish Community, And The German Democratic Republic, Emily Ann Cohen

Honors Projects

Following the Second World War, as German Communists worked to establish a new socialist East German state, Jews who survived persecution and imprisonment by the Nazis worked to reestablish a Jewish community at the same time. Though many scholars dismiss the relationship between Jews and the Socialist Unity Party, the ruling party of the German Democratic Republic, as one characterized only by neglect and occasional political exploitation, it was much more nuanced, shaped in large part by the Cold War. Both the party and the Jewish community relied on the other to accomplish their goals, namely, survival in a new …

Eleanor Lansing Dulles And The Fate Of Berlin: 1953-1989, Chad Everett Shelley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

At the end of the Second World War, Berliners lived in a war-ravaged city and faced occupation under Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The occupation of Berlin and Germany became a competition between capitalism and communism. East Germany became a communist nation while West Germany recovered under the supervision of capitalist nations. In the 1950s West Berlin found a new ally in the director of the Berlin Desk at United States Department of State, Eleanor Lansing Dulles.

Eleanor Dulles came from a privileged family who participated in American diplomacy at the end of the nineteenth …

Through The Eyes Of Children: Social Oppression Under Nazi Rule From 1933 To 1938 Reflections Of Three Holocaust Survivors, Lauren Ashley Bradford

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

This paper discusses the experiences of three Berlin native child survivors of the Holocaust through analysis of their oral testimonies. Their unique voices help shed light on the various ways in which lives were forever changed for those who were legally identified as Jewish in Nazi Germany by way of social oppression. This paper highlights three key years that each survivor discussed at length in their testimonies: Hitler’s Chancellorship in 1933, the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, and Kristallnacht in 1938. Ultimately, this paper argues for the importance of these years and labels them as being a crucial part in the …

Jews: The Makers Of Early Modern Berlin, Conlan Vance

2018 Symposium

This paper will discuss how Jews fit into the economic policies of Brandenburg-Prussia in the later 16^th century. From Frederick William’s decree in 1671 to allow fifty Jewish families to settle in Brandenburg-Prussia to these families and their descendants becoming immersed in the economy of Berlin through their use in courts but more so through their trading, specifically, the ways in which they traded and how they used these to free themselves from some of the constraints of German Christian society. Thusly, this will be shown by looking at Jews in Brandenburg-Prussia in the later 17th century, Jews in …

Iain Boyd White And David Frisby, Eds. Metropolis Berlin: 1880-1940. Berkeley: University Of California Press, 2012., Tyler Carrington

Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature

Review of Iain Boyd White and David Frisby, eds. Metropolis Berlin: 1880-1940. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

Freed From Fascism: Berlin's Gallery Culture In The Aftermath Of World War Ii, Brooke Fessler

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In post-World War II Germany, the city of Berlin was left in ruin after six years of war. A nation ripped apart both physically and at its governmental core was finally freed from Nazi fascism in 1945, and the German people were finally able to reconstruct their culture. Born out of years of strict regulation of the German art world, a new type of art was put on display. Focusing specifically on gallery culture in Berlin in the post-war years, one can see how twelve years of classically influenced Nazi art gave way to a push towards the avant-garde. The …

Memorializing Absence: The Ambiguous Place Of Holocaust Legacy In The Memorials, Countermemorials, And Museums Of Berlin, Avery Matthew Mencher

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

The Gesamtkunstwerk Of A Reunifying Metropolis: Berlin’S Kunsthaus Tacheles, Emma Camille Scheidt

Scripps Senior Theses

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city of Berlin was faced with the challenge to reunify in both political and cultural realms. Berlin is noted throughout history as a metropolis that is characterized by flux; the Post-Wende [Post-Wall] era is another remarkable transitional phase in Berlin’s history. During this era, the city was extremely porous and susceptible to cultural forces that could easily define the city’s malleable future. This essay discusses such forces and events that were planned by the city government, as well as an organic grassroots force that was especially significant in the cultural reunification. This …

Murder, Denunciation And Criminal Policing In Weimar Berlin, Sace Elder

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

In the years since 1989, there has been a wealth of scholarly research into role of denunciation in supporting Germany’s two twentieth-century authoritarian regimes. The shocking revelation after the collapse of East German communism and the opening of the Stasi archives that hundreds of thousands of GDR citizens had served as ‘informal collaborators’ with the secret police seemed to help explain how a relatively small police organization managed to create a culture of terror and conformity. By focusing on the cooperation of ordinary citizens with policing institutions in the surveillance of public and private behaviors, scholars of Nazi Germany have …

Murder, Denunciation And Criminal Policing In Weimar Berlin, Sace E. Elder

Sace E. Elder

In the years since 1989, there has been a wealth of scholarly research into role of denunciation in supporting Germany’s two twentieth-century authoritarian regimes. The shocking revelation after the collapse of East German communism and the opening of the Stasi archives that hundreds of thousands of GDR citizens had served as ‘informal collaborators’ with the secret police seemed to help explain how a relatively small police organization managed to create a culture of terror and conformity. By focusing on the cooperation of ordinary citizens with policing institutions in the surveillance of public and private behaviors, scholars of Nazi Germany have …

Murder, Denunciation And Criminal Policing In Weimar Berlin, Sace E. Elder

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

In the years since 1989, there has been a wealth of scholarly research into role of denunciation in supporting Germany’s two twentieth-century authoritarian regimes. The shocking revelation after the collapse of East German communism and the opening of the Stasi archives that hundreds of thousands of GDR citizens had served as ‘informal collaborators’ with the secret police seemed to help explain how a relatively small police organization managed to create a culture of terror and conformity. By focusing on the cooperation of ordinary citizens with policing institutions in the surveillance of public and private behaviors, scholars of Nazi Germany have …

Report By Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Alfred Huhnhäuser, October 17, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

This report by Hans Schwalm on a meeting with Alfred Huhnhäuser discusses possibilities for creating a centralized research institute in Norway. Huhnhäuser was disappointed that his plan would receive no support as long as it included the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Society as the main tie to Germany. He and Schwalm discuss other options. Schwalm reports on the situation of the Ahnenerbe in pursuing such a project, indicating that they are 2 1/2 years behind Huhnhäuser, who has achieved great respect and built solid connections. He indicates that it would be better to work with Huhnhäuser than pursue such a project separately. The document …

Statement By Hans Schwalm On A Meeting With Ss-Obersturmführer Dr. Ritz Of The Sd, October 15, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Hans Schwalm describes a meeting with SS-Obersturmführer Dr. Ritz regarding plans of Alfred Huhnhäuser for a broad-reaching research facility in Norway. The note describes the challenges involved in such a plan, including the involvement of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society and negative sentiment among Norwegian intellectuals due to the imposition of martial law in Trondheim. It is stated that contact may take long to establish and that a trip to Posen for Schwalm would break off work entirely.

Letter From Rudolf Brandt Of Heinrich Himmler's Personal Staff To Ss-Gruppenführer Berger Of The Ss Main Office, September 28,1942, Rudolf Brandt

Norwegian Projects

A letter from Rudolf Brandt of the Reichsführer-SS Personal Staff, in which he states that the recipient, SS-Gruppenführer Berger of the SS Main Office, has been unjust to SS-Obersturmbannführer Dr. Richert. He states the Reichsführer SS is supportive of proposals to form a research institute in Norway in cooperation with the Ahnenerbe.

Note From Gottlob Berger To Wolfram Sievers With Forwarded Letter To Heinrich Himmler, September 22, 1942, Gottlob Berger

Norwegian Projects

This document includes a note from Gottlob Berger to Wolfram Sievers accompanying a copy of a letter to Heinrich Himmler. In the note to Sievers, Berger comments on the rival plans of Hans Schwalm and Gustav Richert for a centralized research institution in Norway, stating that it could not be allowed to have two separate organizations. The letter to Himmler includes comments on the struggles of the Ahnenerbe in creating its reputation and the importance of establishing the Ahnenerbe as the authorititive scientific research institution, as well as doubts regarding the authenticity of Richert. It concludes with a push for …

Statement From Hans Schwalm, September 18, 1942., Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Statement from Dr. Schwalm on a meeting with Dr. Huhnhäuser in which it was determined that Huhnhäuser would be informed of the results of upcoming meetings and his program would be on hold until that point.

Note By Schwalm On A Meeting With Hans Jacobsen, September 18,1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

Schwalm describes a meeting with Hans Jacobsen, Fylkesmann of Østfold and founder of the journal Ragnarok. In the meeting, Schwalm inquired about individuals from the Ragnarok circle who might be useful in the cultural and racial research projects he wished to conduct in Norway. Most individuals mentioned were not suitable for various reasons, often anti-NS and anti-German sentiment due to events and behavior related to the occupation of Norway. Jacobsen himself was willing to contribute but did not show interest in leadership of a committee. They agreed to continue to meet as circumstances allowed.

Report By Schwalm On The History Of Competing Efforts To Establish A Centralized Research Association In Norway, September 17, 1942, Hans Schwalm

Norwegian Projects

This document offers a description of competing efforts to establish a centralized research association in Norway. The primary interests of many stakeholders were racial biology and ethnology, though Huhnhäuser was shown to want an organization encompassing all fields of research. The note concludes with future plans for coordination between the R.u.S. and the Ahnenerbe as well as a note of warning against a plan to create an R.u.S. office within the NS as it would strip the work of German control.

Note By Wolfram Sievers On A Meeting With Gottlob Berger, August 17, 1942, Wolfram Sievers

Norwegian Projects

Wolfram Sievers reports on a meeting with Berger, who requests an Ahnenerbe science advisor for SS-Sturmbannführer Neumann, soon to be dispatched to Oslo. Sievers noted that he could not spare anyone else, but Hans Schwalm, already in Oslo, could assist. Berger also recommended that Sievers get a decree from Himmler stating that the Ahnenerbe was responsible for all legitimate scientific research in the SS and implied that this was important, but was unable to explain why.

Letter From Josef Wimmer To Walther Wüst Forwarded By Wolfram Sievers To Rudolf Brandt, July 22, 1941, Josef Wimmer, Wolfram Sievers

Dowsing Research

In this letter, Josef Wimmer asks for direction on whether or not to carry out dowsing studies on the mountain Hohenwehen in Hegau. Sievers forwards the note to Rudolf Brandt asking if there are objections and stating that he believes it fine for Wimmer to travel.

Letter From Reinhard Heydrich To Heinrich Himmler, March 29, 1941, Reinhard Heydrich

Dowsing Research

In this letter from Reinhard Heydrich to Heinrich Himmler, Heydrich summarizes the books confiscated from the publisher J. Huber and lists his recommendations based on the petition by the Reich Association for Dowsing and the assessment conducted by Josef Wimmer. The document includes notes on the side in response to the recommendations. It is also noted the Dr. Lutz of the Propaganda Ministry does not need to be involved in these discussions as a middleman.

Proposals And Statements On The Work Of Olier Mordrel In Germany, Olier Mordrel

Breton Nationalism

Written after Olier Mordrel left France to stay in Germany, this document offers a summary of Olier Mordrel's history and credentials with a focus on his work as a Breton nationalist leader and publisher of the journal "Stur". Opportunities for collaboration are listed, along with practical issues related to Mordrel's stay in Germany and reports to be completed by Mordrel. The document concludes with a political note stating that Mordrel should be free to return to Britanny if he felt the situation required it and a reprimand stating that his removal from Brittany had negative effects on German-Breton relations and …

Letter From The Ahnenerbe To Rudolf Brandt, November 25, 1940, Ahnenerbe

Dowsing Research

In this letter to Rudolf Brandt of the Reichsführer-SS's personal staff, the writer states that Ahnenerbe Curator Walther Wüst has spoken to Dr. Lutz regarding dowsing rods and pendula and therefore it is not necessary for Brandt to reply to Lutz himself. Additionally, it is stated that the attachment includes the Ahnenerbe position on the prohibition of documents on dowsing and pendula in a letter from 11/20/40 which was sent to the Head of the Sicherheitspolizei and the SD.

Letter From Wolfram Sievers To Reinhard Heydrich, November 20, 1940, Wolfram Sievers

Dowsing Research

This letter from Wolfram Sievers to Reinhard Heydrich summarized the assessment of confiscated documents related to dowsing, pendula, and astrology by Josef Wimmer of the Department for Applied Geology. Sievers notes the principles used for assessment: first, that recent research has led to great progress on the dowsing question and physical causes related to the sidereal pendulum may also soon be understandable; second, the dowsing literature does contain false reports and mistakes, but also much that has been scientifically proven - the task at hand, therefore, is to sift the literature and separate out that which is valuable and prevent …

Letter From The Head Of The Sicherheits Polizei And The Sd To The Ahnenerbe, October 31, 1940, Head Of The Sicherheitspolizei And The Sd

Dowsing Research

A request from a representative of the Head of the Sicherheitspolizei and the SD (Reinhard Heydrich) to the Ahnenerbe for an update on the review of dowsing and pendulum documents expressing the hope that this activity can be completed shortly, as they must report to the Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler).

Report By Josef Wimmer On The Position Paper By The Reich Association For Dowsing And The S.D. Report, October 30, 1940, Josef Wimmer

Dowsing Research

In this report, Josef Wimmer adds his opinion on first, the position paper by the Reich Association for Dowsing which defends dowsing and proposes official measures to protect the practice and empower the association and second, a report from the SD in response to the Reich Association petition. Wimmer responds to criticism of dowsing included in the SD report while also recognizing sources of error that the Reich Association training fails to address. He concludes with proposals that would reorganize the association and strengthen the training and oversight capacities, placing the association within the oversight of the Ahnenerbe and encouraging …

Letter From The Head Of The Sicherheits Polizei And The Sd To The Ahnenerbe, August 13, 1940, Head Of The Sicherheitspolizei And The Sd

Dowsing Research

This letter accompanies documents seized during the sequestration of occult literature. It is noted that the Reich Association for Dowsing requested the release of the books and the letter writer asks that the Ahnenerbe provide a statement of opinion on the documents in question.