Science in Nazi Germany

Extensive studies have been published on many aspects of Nazi Germany, but the role of science in the Third Reich has received remarkably less attention. And this despite the fact that the Nazis were also very active in this area.
Since 1900, Germany had built up a solid scientific tradition, particularly in the field of physics. In Göttingen, Berlin and Munich there were university centres where researchers such as Einstein, Planck, Courant, Franck, Hertz and Sommerfeld made important contributions to the development of modern physics. Particularly after the seizure of power in 1933, the state and party attempted to align scientific thinking in Germany with the ideas of National Socialism, which was accompanied by the dramatic dismissal of numerous prominent Jewish scientists. One of the most far-reaching attempts at Nazification of science took place in physics, where the Nazis tried to develop an Aryan variant. What was the effect of the dismissal policy on the German scientific world? Why did the attempt to establish an Aryan physics ultimately fail? To what extent was the maintenance of professional values ​​seen as resistance to National Socialism? Answering these questions yields an intriguing story about a macabre period in the history of modern science. Alan D. Beyerchen is a professor of history at Ohio State University.