The Case of the Nazi Professor
Hardback (01 Mar 1989)
Not available for sale
Includes delivery to the United States
Out of stock
Check stock
In 1935, the abrupt dismissal of a German professor at Rutgers University received national attention, arousing the interest of the FBI, ACLU and N.J. state officials, and inciting a university hearing and report. Twenty-six-year-old Lienhard Bergel's contract was terminated, allegedly because of lack of funding, but in fact Bergel's politics clashed with department chair Friedrich J. Hauptmann's pro-Nazi views. Bergel's departure from Rutgers occurred amid a flurry of controversy that polarized students and administrators alike. Alan Silver, who had been a student activist in 1935, republicized the Bergel incident in 1985, prompting this volume. The authors, all Rutgers history faculty, here offer a chronicle of the school as well as re-create the political climate of those earlier times. However, a larger story never emerges from their assembled details. Vital matters, such as freedom of speech, the politics of academia and the activities of student peace groups, are obscured by a long roster of names and dates. Bergel's involvement with the FBI (he gave the agency information on Hauptmann's Nazi activities) is considered only in passing. Hauptmann's collaboration with the Nazis, a fascinating story, and his eventual repatriation during the war to Germany, is told too briefly. Though perhaps a document useful to Rutgers academics, the book is unlikely to command widespread attention. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Book information
ISBN: | 9780813513638 |
Publisher: | Rutgers University Press |
Imprint: | Rutgers University Press |
Pub date: | 01 Mar 1989 |
DEWEY: | 378.121 |
DEWEY edition: | 19 |
Language: | English |
Number of pages: | 157 |
Weight: | 386g |
Height: | 229mm |
Width: | 146mm |
Spine width: | 19mm |