Research Seminar Series - Klaus Meyer

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, German universities faced the rise of national socialism among students and external stakeholders. University leaders were typically embedded in a traditional bourgeois milieu, which resulted in aggressive confrontations with groups following the new ideology.

This study investigates the dynamics of conflicts in the Technical University of Brunswick between 1930 and 1933. Specifically, I explore how key actors strategically escalated conflicts and disrupted existing social structures to attain power within the organization. The conflict culminated in the (failed) attempt to appoint Adolf Hitler as a professor in February 1932 and the dismissal of key actors after January 1933. This study provides insights into the conflict-seeking nature of fascist organizations, the risks of apolitical conservatism in the face of radical ideologies, and the importance of formal governance structures for managing tensions between organizational values and external political interference.

History’s Research Seminar Series offers the Western and London communities the chance to hear historical researchers of all sorts – academic and public historians from our own department and from across North America – present the findings of their research. Everyone is welcome to attend.

For more information on the Research Seminar Series, please visit https://history.uwo.ca/about_us/events/research_seminar_series.html