Mathematicians Fleeing From Nazi Germany : Individual Fates and Global Impact

The emigration of mathematicians from Europe during the Nazi era signaled an irrevocable and important historical shift for the international mathematics world. __Mathematicians Fleeing from Nazi Germany__ is the first thoroughly documented account of this exodus. In this greatly expanded translation of the 1998 German edition, Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze describes the flight of more than 140 mathematicians, their reasons for leaving, the political and economic issues involved, the reception of these emigrants by various countries, and the emigrants' continuing contributions to mathematics. The influx of these brilliant thinkers to other nations profoundly reconfigured the mathematics world and vaulted the United States into a new leadership role in mathematics research. Based on archival sources that have never been examined before, the book discusses the preeminent emigrant mathematicians of the period, including Emmy Noether, John von Neumann, Hermann Weyl, and many others. The author explores the mechanisms of the expulsion of mathematicians from Germany, the emigrants' acculturation to their new host countries, and the fates of those mathematicians forced to stay behind. The book reveals the alienation and solidarity of the emigrants, and investigates the global development of mathematics as a consequence of their radical migration. An in-depth yet accessible look at mathematics both as a scientific enterprise and human endeavor, __Mathematicians Fleeing from Nazi Germany__ provides a vivid picture of a critical chapter in the history of international science. Contents List of Figures and Tables Preface Chapter 1. The Terms “German-Speaking Mathematician,” “Forced,” and “Voluntary Emigration” Chapter 2. The Notion of “Mathematician” Plus Quantitative Figures on Persecution Chapter 3. Early Emigration Chapter 4. Pretexts, Forms, and the Extent of Emigration and Persecution Chapter 5. Obstacles to Emigration out of Germany after 1933, Failed Escape, and Death Chapter 6. Alternative (Non-American) Host Countries Chapter 7. Diminishing Ties with Germany and Self-Image of the Refugees Chapter 8. The American Reaction to Immigration: Help and Xenophobia Chapter 9. Acculturation, Political Adaptation, and the American Entrance into the War Chapter 10. The Impact of Immigration on American Mathematics Chapter 11. Epilogue: The Postwar Relationship of German and American Mathematicians Appendix 1: Lists of Emigrated (after 1933), Murdered, and Otherwise Persecuted German-Speaking Mathematicians (as of 2008) Appendix 2: Excerpt from a Letter by George David Birkhoff from Paris (1928) to His Colleague-Mathematicians at Harvard Concerning the Possibility of or Desirability to Hire Foreigners Appendix 3.1: Report Compiled by Harald Bohr “Together with Different German Friends” in May 1933 Concerning the Present Conditions in German Universities, in Particular with Regard to Mathematics and Theoretical Physics Appendix 3.2: Translation of a Letter from Professor Karl Löwner of the University of Prague to Professor Louis L. Silverman (Dartmouth College) Dated August 2, 1933 Appendix 3.3: Richard von Mises’s “Position toward the Events of Our Time” in November 1933 Appendix 3.4: Report by Artur Rosenthal (Heidelberg) from June 1935 on the Boycott of His and Heinrich Liebmann’s Mathematical Courses Appendix 3.5: Max Pinl–Later the Author of Pioneering Reports (1969–72) on Mathematical Refugees – in a Letter to Hermann Weyl on the Situation in Czechoslovakia Immediately after the Munich Dictate of September 29, 1938 Appendix 4.1: A Letter by Emmy Noether of January 1935 to the Emergency Committee in New York Regarding Her Scientific and Political Interests during Emigration Appendix 4.2: Richard Courant’s Resignation from the German Mathematicians’ Association DMV in 1935 Appendix 4.3: Von Mises in His Diary about His Second Emigration, from Turkey to the USA, in 1939 Appendix 4.4: Hermann Weyl to Harlow Shapley on June 5, 1943, Concerning the Problems of the Immigrant from Göttingen, Felix Bernstein Appendix 5.1: Richard Courant in October 1945 to the American Authorities Who Were Responsible for German Scientific Reparation Appendix 5.2: Max Dehn’s Refusal to Rejoin the German Mathematicians’ Association DMV in 1948 Appendix 6: Memoirs for My Children (1933/1988) by Peter Thullen References Photographs Index and Credits Subject Index Name Index The emigration of mathematicians from Europe during the Nazi era signaled an irrevocable and important historical shift for the international mathematics world. Mathematicians Fleeing from Nazi Germany is the first thoroughly documented account of this exodus. In this greatly expanded translation of the 1998 German edition, Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze describes the flight of more than 140 mathematicians, their reasons for leaving, the political and economic issues involved, the reception of these emigrants by various countries, and the emigrants' continuing contributions to mathematics. The influx of these brilliant thinkers to other nations profoundly reconfigured the mathematics world and vaulted the United States into a new leadership role in mathematics research. Based on archival sources that have never been examined before, the book discusses the preeminent emigrant mathematicians of the period, including Emmy Noether, John von Neumann, Hermann Weyl, and many others. The author explores the mechanisms of the expulsion of mathematicians from Germany, the emigrants' acculturation to their new host countries, and the fates of those mathematicians forced to stay behind. The book reveals the alienation and solidarity of the emigrants, and investigates the global development of mathematics as a consequence of their radical migration. An in-depth yet accessible look at mathematics both as a scientific enterprise and human endeavor, Mathematicians Fleeing from Nazi Germany provides a vivid picture of a critical chapter in the history of international science. -- From publisher's website The emigration of mathematicians from Europe during the Nazi era signaled an irrevocable and important historical shift for the international mathematics world. This book presents an account of this exodus. It describes the flight of more than 140 mathematicians, their reasons for leaving, and the political and economic issues involved.