Persecution and Disenfranchisement at the University during the NS Regime

Paul Peter Ewald, born in 1888, enjoyed a successful career in research as a professor of theoretical physics. His theories on x-ray crystallography were recognized worldwide. In 1928, he came to Technical University of Stuttgart and built a center for theoretical physics. He became rector in 1932.

The accusations: Political opponent, non-Arian wife

His political orientation was liberal. He hoped to be able to view the success of the National Socialist party in the Reichstag election of January 1933 as a temporary phenomenon. Ewald was a Protestant, but also had Jewish ancestors and was thus considered a “Mischling zweiten Grades” (second degree half-breed). His wife was considered a Jew. As a political opponent and “non-Arian”, he would have lost his position right away after the beginning of Nazi rule, according to the “Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums” (Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service). A bizarre exception in the haphazard law allowed him to remain in office: Ewald had fought as a German soldier in World War I.

In April 1934, he attended a conference of university rectors and witnessed that rectors of other universities accepted the dismissal of Jewish and politically opposed professors without any resistance whatsoever. Because he was “not able to share the opinion of the national government regarding the race issue,” he resigned as rector.

Outrage over racism at universities

Until 1937, Ewald witnessed increasingly racist attitudes at the university. In 1936, he had left a mandatory assembly of lecturers out of outrage over a communication by the Reichsminister for Science, Family, and Public Education. Dozentenführer (chief lecturer) Reinhold Bauder had read the memorandum about “the so-called ‘objectivity of science’”, which was said to be based on national sentiment. As a result, national socialist rector Wilhelm Stortz urged him to submit his request for dismissal from his position of professor. The “simplification of administration” introduced by the Nazis made it possible to shroud forced retirement for racist or political reasons in a cloak of legality.

Emigration to England

Thanks to good contacts, Ewald was able to emigrate to England in 1937. Colleagues had wanted to bring him abroad as early as 1933 – but he did not want to leave his position. Until 1940 he drew a paltry pension.  He was, however, able to continue his career in the USA – a rare exception. His contact with the Technical University and later the University of Stuttgart, where two of his students had become professors, was revived during the 1950s. He passed away in the USA in 1985 at the age of 97.

The Soviet citizen Pauline Papkowa, born in 1916, is one of the 292 identified forced laborers who had to work at the Technical University of Stuttgart during World War II under inhumane conditions. Forced laborers were brought in from the regions occupied by the Wehrmacht: Poland, the USSR, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and Italy. The “Ostarbeiter” (eastern workers) from the Soviet Union were treated particularly badly. They were given very little food and subjected to physical violence. Many had been abducted; some were kidnapped right off the street. The treatment of “western” workers was only slightly better. Some had volunteered; however, this did not change the circumstances of their forced labor.

Abducted for clearing rubble

In 1941, German soldiers had forcibly pressed Pauline Papkowa into their service at her home near Leningrad. She had to clean, mend clothing, and do other household chores for the Wehrmacht. It is presumed that she was recaptured and taken to Germany after a failed attempt at flight. In 1944 she came to Stuttgart as an “Ostarbeiterin”, and initially was forced to help clear rubble. From late March 1944, she worked as a janitor at the Institute for Materials Science or Materialprüfungsanstalt (MPA). Her duties included sweeping the machine halls and courtyard on Friday and Saturday mornings. After August 1944, clearing rubble in Stuttgart took precedence, so that the MPA could no longer use Papkowa, although the institute tried to keep “its” cleaning women.

Ostracized even after the war

For many Soviet forced laborers, life continued to be disastrous even after returning to their homeland. Because they had served the enemy in Germany, the workers came under general suspicion. Often they lived for years on the margins of society in the furthest reaches of Siberia. Their rehabilitation was not completed until the 1970s.