Johan Östling

Swedish Narratives of the Second World War: A European Perspective

This paper outlines the dominant post-war narratives of the Second World War in Europe. Drawing from the expanding fields of memory and history, a general pattern in the European interpretations of the war years emerges: whereas the experiences and recollections of the war were narrated within a patriotic framework until the 1980s, a significant shift towards a universalistic interpretation has occurred in the last two decades. Although Swedens wartime experiences differed profoundly from most other similar countries, it is argued that the transformation of Swedish narratives of the Second World War reflected general European tendencies after 1945. Special attention is paid to the emergence in the 1990s of a universalistic understanding of the war, and how this change interplayed with a more general criticism of the foundations of post-war Swedish society.

Introduction: The Humboldtian Tradition and Its Transformations

Wilhelm von Humboldts spirit hovers over the modern university. His name, or at any rate the principles that he is said to represent, is invoked across the world. It is now a little over two hundred years since Humboldt, as a leading Prussian government official, took the initiative in founding Berlins university, often hailed as the first modern research university. When the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin celebrated its centenary in 2010, the legacy of its founder was discussed at numerous conferences and symposia. In Humboldts model, the position of professor was considerably strengthened, even though the state still retained the right to determine appointments. The Humboldtian traditions origin and transformations suffices to show that one initial proposition is correct, that the history of the last two hundred years has been complex. Keywords: Berlin; Germany; Humboldtian tradition; legacy; Wilhelm von Humboldt

The Swansong of the Mandarins : Humboldt’s Idea of the University in Early Post-War Germany

In the wake of the Second World War, Germany saw an intensive debate about the idea of the university and its future role in society. All were agreed that the country’s universities had to be revitalized after the ravages of Nazism, but the question was what weight should be given to the classical German heritage, and the Humboldtian tradition in particular. The mandarins, the older humanist scholars, dominated the public debate about the fundamental principles of research and higher education, and this article focuses on the contribution made by three of them—Karl Jaspers, Gerhard Ritter, and Werner Richter. In making their points, they all revealed a strong historical orientation, but equally very different views on the Humboldtian legacy. This article argues that their ideas about the German university must be seen against the background of the specific experiences of their generation. In the event, the immediate post-war period was the last time their academic ideals were to gain much of a hearing. The university debate proved to be the swansong for Germany’s intellectual elite. (Less)

The Limits of the Wahlverwandtschaft: Images of Germany in the Main Swedish Conservative Organs 1945-48

Die Beziehungen zwischen Schweden und Deutschland haben eine sehr wechselhafte Geschichte. In den Jahren zwischen der Reichsgründung 1871 und dem Beginn des Ersten Weltkriegs 1914 gab es in Schweden mehr deutschfreundlich gesinnte Schweden als jemals zuvor, aber in der Zwischenkriegszeit nahm ihre Zahl kontinuierlich ab. Am längsten erhielt sich diese Wahlfreundschaft in konservativen Kreisen, auch wenn diese Sichtweise auf Deutschland nach 1933 immer weniger opportun wurde. Aufgrund dieser Perspektive wird in diesem Aufsatz untersucht, wie sich das Deutschlandbild in den konservativen Leitorganen der Nachkriegszeit 1945 bis 1948 entwickelte. Ergebnis ist, dass der Nationalsozialismus scharf verurteilt wurde, in den konservativen Stimmen aber nicht – wie früher behauptet worden war – das deutsche Volk für schuldig befunden wurde. Sicherlich bedeutete die Zeit nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg eine neue Phase in den deutsch-schwedischen Kontakten – aber ein totaler Bruch in den Beziehungen kann nicht belegt werden.