Suchergebnisse

The Imperial University of Strasbourg and Pan-Germanism.
Marie-Noële Denis
Among the ideologies which, in the 19th century cherished the dream of European unity, none was probably more realistic, more aggressive and more efficient than Pan-Germanism. In Strasbourg, the creation of an imperial university in 1872 lay within the framework of an authoritative policy of germanization.
Directly administered by Berlin, numbering almost exclusively German professors and students, the Emperor Wilhelm University constituted a foreign body in the city. Professors and students were not integrated into the local society and formed, in the newly-built districts of the city, a colonial type enclave. In contrast, the francophile Alsatian bourgeoisie remained attached to the older parts of the city. This spatial and social split testifies to the failure of the assimilation policy and still weighs heavily even nowadays on the relationships between Strasbourg and her university.

Statues of the Imperial University of Strasbourg and the teachings of Pan-Germanism
In 1871, the architectural conception of Strasburg's new university, and its sculptured decoration, used to depend on imperial politics. However, University did not adhere in an unconditional way, to the forced integration of Alsace in the German Empire. As it could soften decisions concerning the exterior sculptures (those of the interior of the building were more influenced by politics), it could impose the triumph of humanist and nationalist thoughts (where the spiritual values mattered more than power representations) against the official art of the 2nd Reich. But teachers, who were widely responsible for some choices, had excited without any chauvinism, Protestantism and Prussia's, Germany and Pangermanist Europe's literary and scientific glories. Most of these sculptures implicitly show the problem of connexion between art and power, and its acceptance by concerned populations - like Alsatians -and the problem their effectiveness in terms of propaganda.

On cover: Bibliothèque d'histoire contemporaine. ; Henry, René. La politique mondiale de l'Allemagne (Welpolitik [!]).--Martel, E.A. L'emprise austro-allemande sur la Turquie et l'Asie-mineure.--Hulot, baron. L'Allemagne en Afrique et la guerre.--Froidevaux, Henri. Les ambitions allemandes dans les eaux du Pacifique.--Dybowski, Jean. Pourquoi l'Allemagne voulait nos colonies. ; Mode of access: Internet.