3.8 Two Different Political Faces
In view of all this, Staudinger’s behaviour in politically difficult contexts must be
considered contradictory. Although he was a conformist at times, he was a troublemaker at others; all in all, he remained unpredictable, managing not only to
express politically correct views with impressive vehemence but also to step out of
line subversively. This meant that he acted neither as a model Nazi nor as a figure
with whom anti-fascists could identify. In the end, the Nazi regime abandoned the
strong reservations against him and came to terms with the man who was originally
reviled as a “traitor to his country”.
The turning point came in 1940: a separate research department for macromolecular chemistry was established at Staudinger’s institute and was affiliated to the
chemical laboratory at the university. This was after the institute had already been
expanded twice in 1933 and 1937, “in order to create additional capacities for the
[. . .] growth in macromolecular chemistry” [2, p. 84]. Staudinger was to head this
department, which was the first in Europe to be devoted exclusively to the new area
of research into polymer sciences, until he retired in 1951. After this, he remained in
charge for another 5 years on an honorary basis. The ban on foreign travel was lifted
in 1940 too, when Staudinger’s “name was cleared completely at the political level”
[19, p. 399]. Reich Minister of Education Rust received the following letter from
the head of the scientific authorities at his ministry, represented by Otto Wacker, on
26 January 1940:
The district controller in Freiburg has informed me that he has decided to deploy Professor
Staudinger politically to a certain extent too in view of his impeccable conduct in recent
years. He will as a result be speaking to a selection of political leaders for the first time in
the next few days. The district controller therefore considers that the Staudinger case is now
closed completely. At the same time that I am informing you about this fact, I think that I
am in a position to express the opinion that no fundamental objections should be raised any
more in future to scientific activities by Professor Staudinger abroad. (Quoted from [19],
p. 399)
Between 1942 and 1944, Staudinger was used for cultural propaganda purposes
“in foreign countries occupied or annexed by Germany” and completed a total of
eight lecture tours during this time, which took him to such places as Prague,
Mulhouse and Strasbourg: “Staudinger had won the trust of the Nazi rulers.”
([19], p. 399; cf. [39], p. 230).
3.9 Promotion of Defence Chemistry
It can be assumed that the sudden change in the Nazis’ position was attributable less
to a fundamental re-evaluation of Staudinger as a person and more to an increase in
their appreciation of what he had to offer professionally as the “natural science
figurehead of Freiburg University” [38, p. 11]. This was due to the fact that the
Courageous Questioning of Established Thinking: The Life and Work of Hermann. . .
121
In view of all this, Staudinger’s behaviour in politically difficult contexts must be
considered contradictory. Although he was a conformist at times, he was a troublemaker at others; all in all, he remained unpredictable, managing not only to
express politically correct views with impressive vehemence but also to step out of
line subversively. This meant that he acted neither as a model Nazi nor as a figure
with whom anti-fascists could identify. In the end, the Nazi regime abandoned the
strong reservations against him and came to terms with the man who was originally
reviled as a “traitor to his country”.
The turning point came in 1940: a separate research department for macromolecular chemistry was established at Staudinger’s institute and was affiliated to the
chemical laboratory at the university. This was after the institute had already been
expanded twice in 1933 and 1937, “in order to create additional capacities for the
[. . .] growth in macromolecular chemistry” [2, p. 84]. Staudinger was to head this
department, which was the first in Europe to be devoted exclusively to the new area
of research into polymer sciences, until he retired in 1951. After this, he remained in
charge for another 5 years on an honorary basis. The ban on foreign travel was lifted
in 1940 too, when Staudinger’s “name was cleared completely at the political level”
[19, p. 399]. Reich Minister of Education Rust received the following letter from
the head of the scientific authorities at his ministry, represented by Otto Wacker, on
26 January 1940:
The district controller in Freiburg has informed me that he has decided to deploy Professor
Staudinger politically to a certain extent too in view of his impeccable conduct in recent
years. He will as a result be speaking to a selection of political leaders for the first time in
the next few days. The district controller therefore considers that the Staudinger case is now
closed completely. At the same time that I am informing you about this fact, I think that I
am in a position to express the opinion that no fundamental objections should be raised any
more in future to scientific activities by Professor Staudinger abroad. (Quoted from [19],
p. 399)
Between 1942 and 1944, Staudinger was used for cultural propaganda purposes
“in foreign countries occupied or annexed by Germany” and completed a total of
eight lecture tours during this time, which took him to such places as Prague,
Mulhouse and Strasbourg: “Staudinger had won the trust of the Nazi rulers.”
([19], p. 399; cf. [39], p. 230).
3.9 Promotion of Defence Chemistry
It can be assumed that the sudden change in the Nazis’ position was attributable less
to a fundamental re-evaluation of Staudinger as a person and more to an increase in
their appreciation of what he had to offer professionally as the “natural science
figurehead of Freiburg University” [38, p. 11]. This was due to the fact that the
Courageous Questioning of Established Thinking: The Life and Work of Hermann. . .
121