The Decimation of Mathematics in Hitler's Germany
Overview
When the Nazi regime came to power in Germany in the 1930s, Jews and those who tried to protect them were systematically persecuted, exiled, or killed. As the Nazis attempted to root out "Jewish influence" on German life, university science and mathematics departments, where Jews were particularly numerous, became favorite targets. In mathematics, Germany had been the center of the international research community in the first decades of the twentieth century. With the rise of Adolf Hitler, some mathematicians were murdered, and many others fled. The focus of the mathematical world shifted to the United States and Canada.
Background
The Enlightenment of eighteenth-century Europe brought new ways of thinking to Western Europe. Political freedom as well as the freedom to ask questions about the way the world worked became at least ideals to strive for, even if they could not be immediately attained. New opportunities became available to ethnic and religious minorities, although restrictions were still common.
The blossoming of science and mathematics opened many new doors. At the universities, traditional fields such as the classics were seen as the most prestigious and were the most reluctant to admit those outside the cultural mainstream.
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