Breyer the Researcher

Research for the Volk, research for the Reich?

Albert Breyer's political commitment decreased significantly after he lost his post at the school in Zgierz in 1925. After all he had to consider his family. Nevertheless during the following time at Sompolno, employed at a school that was known as a center of the German movement, Breyer's contacts to the German activists from Poznań intensified. He came in closer contact with Alfred Lattermann and Dr. Kurt Lück from Poznań as well as Viktor Kauder from Katowice.

Already in 1934 this group of Poznań activists was completely controlled by the Reich.

As recent publications show[1], these German groups at Poznań and Katowice were financed by the Reich using cover organizations[2]. Ideological and scientific support was provided by the Nordostdeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaften (NOFG), which were financed by the Reichsministerium des Inneren (Interior Ministry) and the Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office). The goal of the NOFG, founded in 1933 and concentrating on Poland, the Baltic countries, Bohemia and Scandinavia, was to 'systematically develop opposite standpoints to the Polish scholarship, to guide German scholars in foreign countries in their research and to raise their awareness for the German interests and territorial demands.'[3]

Secret key contacts of the NOFG in Poland were Alfred Lattermann in Poznań and Viktor Kauder in Katowice.[4]

As Viktor Kauder writes, the Historische Gesellschaft für die Provinz Posen (Historical Society for the Province of Poznań) which existed since the second half of the 19th century, could be 'transformed from being assigned to locally narrowed tasks to becoming the scientific headquarters for guiding the Germans in Poland.'[5].

The contacts to reach the unorganized Germans throughout Poland were established by German teachers, German minded Pastors, the local groups of the Deutsche Vereinigung and through the German cooperative societies. Main organs of the Poznań activists were among many other publications the periodicals Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Polen and Deutsche Monatshefte in Polen. Both periodicals were financed by the NOFG.[6]

Objective and task of these periodicals was to influence and censor the content of publications about the Germans in Poland and to sponsor the creation and circula­tion of articles that were in conformity with the group's and the Reich's interests. At the same time differing opinions and results were torn to peaces in sharp reviews of these publications.

For the sake of completeness it should be mentioned, that the German endeavors in the East, also known as Ostforschung (East Research), soon found their spitting image in the Polish Westforschung (West Research). Also established immediately after World War I, scholarship was used to prove a temporary character of the Pol­ish western border and the necessity of a correction of the borderline - this time in favor of Poland.  The selected measures of the Polish Westforschung were also the encouragement of feelings of Polish national identity in the areas in question, the sponsoring of Polish education, Polish culture and Polish industry. Besides the newly founded university at Poznań which figured as a scientific headquarter, the Polish activities were sup­ported by the Związek Obrony Kresów Zachodnich, ZOKZ (Association for the de­fense of the Polish Western territories), later renamed to Polski Związek Zachodni, PZZ (Polish West Association)[7].

The German Ostforschung as well as the Polish Westforschung were characterized by a significant lack of the ability to distinguish between politically motivated wishful thinking and plain scientific research.

The second disqualification Albert Breyer's of his profession as a teacher in 1937 threatened the livelihood of Albert Breyer's family. After several months of unsuc­cessful fighting to get back into his job, the chance to work at the Deutschen Büchereiverei at Poznań, since 1934 headed by Dr. Kurt Lück, had been the only option for him. The occupation at Poznań meant for the idealist Albert Breyer not only financial dependency but also the complete involvement in the organizational structure, the tasks and the goals of these scientific headquarters influenced and financed by the Reich.

It is hard to determine, if it would have been possible for Albert Breyer or other local historians at an earlier time to look through the secret entanglements of the Łódź or Poznań activists with the German sponsors. However after 1934 the ideo­logical orientation of the group around Viktor Kauder, Alfred Lattermann and Dr. Kurt Lück could not have been a secret for someone who worked in close contact with them.

The role of the Deutscher Büchereiverein located at Poznań which became Breyers employer, as well as the Verein deutscher Büchereien in Polen located at Katowice, was described by Viktor Kauder: 'Then the German libraries (in Poland) had the task to bring the ideas of National Socialism, as they were presented in the works of the leading men and in narrative books, to the areas where they had no radio.' [8]

According to Kauder all available channels were used in the Poznań area and in Silesia for the distribution of these books: Libraries were installed at the Lutheran vicar­ages, at the German private schools, at the local groups of the Deutsche Ver­einigung and at the cooperative societies. In Central Poland, outside of Łódź, things were more difficult. Here the concept of mobile libraries was used to reach the re­mote settlements.

Kauder's description gives a hint of the perfect organization of the activists and also of the close involvement of churches, schools, homeland associations and coopera­tive societies.

Albert Breyer's productivity and number of publications increased significantly during his time at Poznań. Besides his works about local history there were also book re­views and conference proceedings published by him. His book reviews show a re­markable fairness towards the authors. In contrast to many other book reviews written by the Poznań group Breyer refrains from any polemics.

Jutta Dennerlein - April 2007