Political continuity or a new beginning? The re-foundation of the “German Society for Pathology” and its politics in postwar Germany

Abstract

In 1948, about 70 pathologists decided to reconstitute the “Deutsche Pathologische Gesellschaft” (German Pathological Society). With Arnold Lauche, a new president was elected; at the same time, the organization was renamed the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pathologie” (German Society of Pathology).But did these two obvious changes really mark a new beginning, a conscious turning away from the Nazi ideology that had significantly shaped the policies of the professional associations until 1945?The present paper pursues this very question. It examines the personnel and political course set by the German Society of Pathology, and takes a close look its first representatives – Arnold Lauche, Georg B. Gruber und Edmund Randerath – and their professional activities. Special attention is paid to their positions during the Third Reich, their denazification processes and their dealings with the past in the early postwar period. This also includes the Society’s policy towards Jewish colleagues marginalized in the Third Reich.The article is based on archival material from the Federal Archives in Berlin, various university archives, and Gruber’s estate. In addition, a critical analysis of the relevant secondary literature was conducted.During the Third Reich, Lauche, Gruber, and Randerath were involved in National Socialism to varying degrees. Their board activities in the postwar period stood for personal and political continuity which also included the Society’s policy towards former members of the Nazi Party and Jewish colleagues.The article concludes that there was no clean break with the Nazi past; Gruber in particular, who had already played a leading role in the Society in the Third Reich, continued to exert considerable influence. The German Society for Pathology also failed to bring persecuted Jewish colleagues into its midst – former members of the Nazi Party were given preference both in board positions and in the awarding of honors.