Tansu KUCUKONCU , PhD
( Tansu KÜÇÜKÖNCÜ ( in Turkish alphabet ) )
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SCIENTISTS UNDER NAZI GOVERMENTS
Survey by Tansu KUCUKONCU
Before National Socialists goverment, Germany, especially in theoretical
physics, was the number one in the world.
Nazis gradually applied their nationalist asimilation politics in science,
too. They wanted to constitute a national physics.
The biggest problem of the scientists is to save their scientific auto-
nomy. Most of them are apolitic.
There are two kind of intervention to science. One is to send unwanted
scientists away. The second is to re-establish all the standarts and the com-
ments of the discipline. This one which was tried to be applied by ideologs
was failed.
The send-away program of Nazis for Jewish people was not clear at first.
Academicians could not be hindered completely because of artificial legality
of Nazi laws. But struggling with this using legal ways didn't give a succes-
ful result.
Due to the fame of German universities, immigration of German scientists
(especially physcists) was easier than other people in the country.
Leader scientists, i.e. Planck, Von Laue, Sommerfeld, who didn't be af-
fected much from the applications, tried to keep their communities together.
They wanted to protect the international fame of science in Germany. Their
thought was that 'Nazis are temporary, but science is permanent, so its
continuity must be preserved'. Their efforts are not completely rejected
by the governors. Some non-Jewish scientists were sent away with Jewishs,
but some Jewish scientists, i.e Hertz and Meitner, were not be touched. They
continued their studies.
Inspite of everything, losses in qualified scientists reached up to
% 25. Losses in potentially qualified scientists is another story. Most of
these % 25 were at the top of theoretical physics in the world. Worse thing
was that most of them went to rival countries. Most of them went to U.S.
They studied in Manhattan project. These % 25 played the most important and
effective role in completion of atom bomb very much earlier than Germans'.
Moreover the start to Manhattan project was given by Einstein.
Scientists especially tried to use governers to take support for the
subjects which they deal with.
The cause of failure of German atom energy project was that Nazi econo-
mic politics was not support long-term projects. Another reason was that
the leader theoricians didn't know well how the projects could be applied
in industry. And Germany's lack was that there were not good experimentalists
who would complete the effects of theoricians. Their high level self-trust
in their science was another disadventage. They believed that they were the
best. If they couldn't do something, nobody couldn't do it.
Sent-away of lots of perfect physicists and making the conditions worse
than before for the rest (internentions of goverment to the universities,
national physics story) were factors for worsening of physics in Germany.
But the most important and effective factor was that after the creative ac-
tivity explosian in theory before 1930, experiments should be primary and
theory should become in regression. But the succes of theory obscured ex-
periment. Therefore physics in Germany was deprived of experimental equip-
ments which were necessary for international competion. Nazis worsened the
situation which was getting worsen.
dilar. Fizik alaninda ideolojik dogrunun ne oldugunu belirlemede goster-
dikleri duraksama da kotuydu.Ari fizik hareketi fizikciler tarafindan
politik bir hareket, politikacilar tarafindan ise bilimsel bir hareket
olarak goruluyordu. Bu da basarisizligin bir nedeniydi.
Nazi leadres didn't have any knowledge about the academic physics. They
didn't give much importance to bad situation created by sent-away politics
applied in science.
Ari fizik hareketi alm.nin dunya fiziginde konumunu guclendirmeye yonelik
bir caba olacak yerde alm.nin 20. yy fizigine sagladigi hayranlik verici
katkilarin yadsinmasini temsil ediyordu. Bunda ideologlarinin lenard ve
stark isimli basarisiz iki fizikci olusunun etkisi de buyuktu. Gorecelik
kurami ve quantum mekanigini reddediyorlardi. Kendi aralarinda da anlas-
mazlik vardi. Tek anlastiklari fizige irkciligin sokulmasiydi. Bilimsel
yonetimde bilgiyi degil ideolojiyi on plana cikarmaya calisiyorlardi.
Eger bilimsel basarinin standartlari, esasta ayni degerleri paylasan ye-
tenekli bir gurup tarafindan ve yalnizca bu gurup tarafindan denetlenmezse,
daima birden cok gercek varolabilecekti. (dogal olarak da alm. gerceginin
yahudi gerceginden ustun oldugu dusunuluyordu.
Nazi kuramina meslek planinda karsi cikis, Nazi rejimine politik muhalefetle
ayni sey degildi. Yonetimde bunu farkedebilecek insanlarin olmasi ari fizik-
cilerin kostegiydi.
ulkede kalan Bilim adamlarinin yeterince guclu bir tepki gostermeyislerine
gelince. Bu bilim adamlarinin poltik korkaklar defgil fakat politik
kahraman olmayi bilmeyen kisiler olduklari.. Ileride ulke icin bir umit
isigi olabilmek icin de hayatta kalmalari gerektigi.
Ozellikle teorik fizikcilerin en buyuk kayibi, politik guclerinin olmayi-
siydi. Diger meslek guruplari (eng., applied physic. ..) calismalrinin
ekonomik ya da savasla ilgili onemine dikkati cekebilyorlardi. Atom
fizigi ise pratik sorunlardan cok bilim kurguya ya da felsefeye yakin bir
konu oolarak goruluyordu.
Hitler'in Planck'a sozu ' o halde biz de birkac yil bilimsiz yapariz'
Almanyada yaygin olan toplumsal gorus 'yaracilik'. Bir seye karsi cikista
bile bir yara olmali. Yapilacak bir is yarar saglamayacaksa yapilmamalidir.
Hitler'in iktidara gelisinde de nazilerin gucunden cok halktaki yaygin bu
pasif gorusun etkin oldugu iddia edilmektedir. Nazi doneminde bilim adam-
larinin tepkisi de..
Icerde kalip da direnis gosterebilen bilim adamlarinin sayisinin son dere-
cede az olusunda amaclari olan meslkei ozerklik kapsaminda direnisin olma-
yisiydi.
German physicists, to preserve their autonomy against national socio-
logists, defended the idea that their studies are not related to politics.
But at the same time, to get economical support for their studies, they
defended how much their studies are important for the war. They lived some
contradictions.
Scientists lived under Hitler didn't understand that profecional physics
could be kept far from politics not with the power of its defenders, but with
weaknesses and political insufficiency of those which attacks against it.
It must not be forgetten that, even that results of their efforts changed
the world, the same pressure, applied to other people, was applied to them
and they showed the same weaknesses.
