The Third Reich in the Ivory Tower: Complicity and Conflict on American Campuses

This is the first systematic exploration of the nature and extent of sympathy for Nazi Germany at American universities during the 1930s. Universities were highly influential in shaping public opinion, and many of the nation's most prominent university administrators refused to take a principled stand against the Hitler regime. Universities welcomed Nazi officials to campus and participated enthusiastically in student exchange programs with Nazified universities in Germany. American educators helped Nazi Germany improve its image in the West as it intensified its persecution of the Jews and strengthened its armed forces. The study contrasts the significant American grassroots protest against Nazism that emerged as soon as Hitler assumed power with campus quiescence, and with administrators’ frequently harsh treatment of those students and professors who challenged their determination to maintain friendly relations with Nazi Germany.

Stephen H. Norwood, who holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, is Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. His two-volume Encyclopedia of American Jewish History, co-edited with Eunice G. Pollack (2008), received the Booklist Editor's Choice Award. He is also the author of three other books in American history and the winner of the Herbert G. Gutman Award in American Social History and co-winner of the Macmillan/SABR Award in Baseball History. His articles have appeared in anthologies and numerous journals, including American Jewish History, Modern Judaism, and the Journal of Social History.

To Eunice G. Pollack

Stephen H. Norwood

University of Oklahoma

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© Stephen H. Norwood 2009

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First published 2009

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication dataNorwood, Stephen H. (Stephen Harlan), 1951–The Third Reich in the ivory tower : complicity and conflict on Americancampuses / Stephen H. Norwood.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-0-521-76243-4 (hardback)1. Education, Higher – United States – History – 20th century. 2. National socialismand education – United States – History. I. Title.LA227.1.N67 2009378.73′09043–dc22 2008046266

ISBN 978-0-521-76243-4 hardback

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Contents

List of Figures

Abbreviations