Lester Kruger Born, Ernst Maximilian Posner, and the American Influence on the Reshaping of German Archives after the Second World War
At the end of the Second World War, the collapse of the Prussian archival system lead to a gap in archival administration. Education and training of archivsts who broke ties with Nazi-era principles, and who adopted ties to American archival theory and practice, became a priority. This article first examines the contribution of American archival protection officers to this endeavor, including the establishment of an archival school in the American Zone, and the influence of Ernst Posner's archival theory. This article examines the historical context of these events and concludes by asking the question of what traces the American commitment has left behind in the archival system of Germany.ABSTRACT
Contributor Notes
Philip Haas (born in 1986) is a German state archivist in the service of the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv) in Wolfenbüttel. He studied history, classics, German language and literature, and educational science at the University of Marburg and the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a PhD in history of the early modern period. From 2017 until 2019, he worked in the state archives of Hanover and graduated from the archives school in Marburg. His main historical research interests are history of the early modern period, auxiliary sciences of history, history of the state of Lower Saxony and, in particular, archival history.
Martin Schürrer (born in 1986) is a German state archivist in the service of the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv) in Osnabrück. He studied history and German language and literature, and educational science at the University of Münster, graduating with a PhD in medieval history. From 2017 until 2020, he worked in the state archives of Hanover and Oldenburg and graduated from the archives school in Marburg. His main historical research interests are medieval history, history of the early modern period, history of the state of Lower Saxony and, in particular, archival history.