German Refugee Historians and Friedrich Meinecke: Letters and Documents, 1910-1977
The book deals with the relationship between Friedrich Meinecke,
who is often considered to be the leading German historian of the
first half of the twentieth century, and several of his students
who, after the Nazi seizure of power, were forced to emigrate
because of their Jewish descent or their political views. The
letters published here to Meinecke from Hans Rothfels, Dietrich
Gerhard, Hajo Holborn, Felix Gilbert, Hans Rosenberg, and others
show these scholars' deep respect for their old teacher, but
also their growing distance from his historical interests and
methods. In a period of struggle between democracy and Nazi
dictatorship, the letters address the problems of emigration and
remigration, German-Jewish and German-American identity, and
historiography in both Germany and the United States.
Gerhard A. Ritter, emeritus professor of Modern History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. His most recent books deal with the social history of Germany, the comparative history of the welfare state, the reunification of Germany in 1989/90, and problems of historiography.
