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Conference : Networking: internationalisation of the scientific cooperation in social and human sciences

1.06 - The International network of German left-wing intellectuals – friendship, trust and betrayal in times of war, exile and nationbuilding of both the German countries, from 1936 until 1956.

Author/s : Doris SEEHUBER

Starting point of my research is the assumption that during the 1920s and 1930s a widely branched network of left-wing intellectuals embraced the European continent. Their contacts initiated the international transfer of literary and artistic ideas; they motivated political actions and created new forms of communities, as for example journals, publishing houses and discussion forums. By means of chosen examples of German anti-fascistic intellectuals, who belonged to the same generation and who were in majority close to the communist party, I will show against the background of ideological, aggravating polarisations between fascism, communism and liberalism in Europe how left-wing intellectuals crossed nation-state frontiers of their dedication as well as maintained and expanded their personal relationships to politically, ideologically and artistically likeminded people. As fighters at the front or as war correspondent during the Spanish civil war they socialised or deepened their important personal contacts. During the succeeding, often together experienced exile, they expanded their personal network, which depending on the choice of exile country – their own or the one of the intellectual friend – extended far beyond the borders of Europe towards North and South America. Due to personal friendships and relationships German left-wing intellectuals living in exile could pursue their political, artistic, scientific and publishing work within the culture of the host country; thus they survived the nationalsocialist persecution and the WWII. If they ended their exile at the same time as the nationalsocialist regime and the WWII was over in order to return to Germany, then they did so in conscious choice of the for themselves right politically ideological side: Their decision for East or West Germany, capitalism or socialism, expresses who amongst the once communist intellectuals broke, because of the direct or indirect experiences with the Stalinist repression and persecution, with his/her ideological belief, and who put still hopes and expectations into a better socialist society such as the GDR. Such inner

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