The National Socialist Era

This dossier provides an outline of the history of the DFG during National Socialism: from its naming through self-mobilisation and Aryanisation to the funding of “research critical to the war”. An intensive critical reappraisal of the National Socialist era is also documented here.

The Research Unit on the History of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 1920-1970

In spring 2000, the President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Professor Dr. Ludwig Winnacker, convened a working group to explore ways and opportunities to examine the DFG’s history. After this initial discussion, the President asked Professors vom Bruch (Berlin) and Herbert (Freiburg) to assume charge of the DFG history research project. This initiative gave rise to a research association whose work was based on the following three guiding principles: the research should focus on the period of Nazi rule; the group’s main focus should be the research projects funded specifically by the DFG; the project should focus less on the history of individual disciplines. Instead, it should be more of an analysis of interdisciplinary developments.

Further information

Access to the historical records

“GEPRIS Historisch” is the comprehensive information portal provided by the DFG that makes the history of the DFG and of research between 1920 and 1945 publicly accessible:

Information on literature used and sources