La société Max Planck de 1946 à la réunification allemande : entre continuité et ruptures

Abstract

Max Planck Society From 1946 to German reunification: Continuity and ruptures The Max Planck Society represents the fleuron of German research. Founded at two different times, 1946 and 1948, this society “for the advancement of science” is the successor to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft (KWG), which was created in 1911 and dismantled after World War II. Is there continuity or rupture between these two organizations? This question deserves attention. At the level of the scientific organization, a new principle was founded along side the « principles of Hamack » at the beginning of the Nazi era. This principle, “voluntary realignment” (Selbstgleichschaltung), was away of avoiding more direct and radical intervention by Nazi functionaries. Industry was still represented at the level of administration. For example, IG Farben general secretary Carl Bosch succeeded Max Planck as the head of the KWG from 1937 to 1940, before being replaced by a staunch Nazi, Albert Vögler. Coming out of the war, when Otto Hahn returned home from Farm Hall where he was kept under house arrest, the very survival of German research structures was at stake. British Colonel Bertie Blount found compromise was possible with his proposal to rename the KWG. In 1946, the British convinced the Americans to create the Max Planck Society (MPG) in their two zones of occupation. Three years later, the French agreed to permit the MPG in their zone. Under the direction of Butenandt, the 1960s were characterized by strong expansion as well as the introduction of the principle of collegial direction. The physician Reimar Lust (1972 to 1984) assured a certain continuity despite crisis and the MPG confirmed that it was firmly anchored in the West. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, in the Soviet zone of occupation, the KWI was integrated into the Academy of Sciences of the RDA. In 1990 the RFA supported affiliation with the East German organizations, but the prestigious MPG, which had achieved wealth and stature that was the envy of universities, cited respect for the principles of Harnack in its refusal to incorporate outright East German research centers. New institutes have been created, headed by foreigners or West Germans, to prepare the science of tomorrow while watching over the promotion of interdisciplinary research.