The Cultivation of Friendship: French and German Cultural Cooperation, 1925-1954 Elana Passman A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History Chapel Hill 2008 Approved by: Dr. Donald M. Reid Dr. Christopher R. Browning Dr. Konrad H. Jarausch Dr. Alice Kaplan Dr. Lloyd Kramer Dr. Jay M. Smith ©2008 Elana Passman ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT ELANA PASSMAN The Cultivation of Friendship: French and German Cultural Cooperation, 1925-1954 (under the direction of Donald M. Reid) Through a series of case studies of French-German friendship societies, this dissertation investigates the ways in which activists in France and Germany battled the dominant strains of nationalism to overcome their traditional antagonism. It asks how the Germans and the French recast their relationship as “hereditary enemies” to enable them to become partners at the heart of today’s Europe. Looking to the transformative power of civic activism, it examines how journalists, intellectuals, students, industrialists, and priests developed associations and lobbying groups to reconfigure the French-German dynamic through cultural exchanges, bilingual or binational journals, conferences, lectures, exhibits, and charitable ventures. As a study of transnational cultural relations, this dissertation focuses on individual mediators along with the networks and institutions they developed; it also explores the history of the idea of cooperation. Attempts at rapprochement in the interwar period proved remarkably resilient in the face of the prevalent nationalist spirit. While failing to override hostilities and sustain peace, the campaign for cooperation adopted a new face in the misguided shape of collaborationism during the Second World War. The push toward cooperation continued into the postwar period in two vastly different directions. Some invoked the idea of cooperation as an allegedly new way to overcome the Franco-German antagonism and iii achieve lasting peace in a European community. But former Nazis and collaborators also harnessed this notion of cooperation after the war; they recast their wartime behavior in the more positive light of long-term efforts toward European cooperation. This study helps reshape the way we look at cooperation in 20 th century Europe. It underscores the role of intellectual and cultural efforts in fostering healthier international relations. By arguing that the quest for cooperation was not simply a postwar venture, but that it emerged from the Locarno era, this study shows how advocates of cooperation persisted in their work even during the most marked periods of hostility. Ultimately, I contend that interwar efforts for cooperation helped shape both Vichy-era collaboration and postwar reconciliation. iv To my parents who are everything and more and To Ruth Ilse Passman (1912-2008), who made history—and everything else—so vibrant v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is deeply gratifying to realize how many institutions and individuals have contributed in some way to this project. Doing them justice is a hopeless task; these words may be inadequate, but they are no less heartfelt. With the aid of a Bourse Châteaubriand, I was able to spend a year in Paris conducting research. The generous support of the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies (jointly administered by the Freie Universität Berlin and the Social Science Research Council with funding provided by the Freie Universität Berlin) allowed me to spend the next very productive year in the German archives. FLAS Grants to both France and Germany were of much benefit. Research funds from the University of North Carolina’s Department of History and Center for International Studies were likewise invaluable. I would also like to thank the German Historical Institute and its staff for its generous support as well as the participants in the GHI’s Transatlantic Doctoral Seminar in Freiburg for their thoughtful comments on a condensed chapter. Colleagues at the Berlin Program and the Trans-Atlantic Institute in German Studies as well as at the Society for French Historical Studies and the German Studies Association conferences provided useful feedback on various papers. The staffs at many libraries and archives did yeoman’s work. In France, the staffs of the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris, the Archives Nationales, the Bibliothèque de Documentation Internationale Contemporaine in Nanterre, and the Archives de vi l’Occupation française en Allemagne et en Autriche in Colmar deserve much praise. In Germany, the staffs of the Politisches Archiv des Auswärtiges Amt, the Staatsbibliothek, the Bundesarchiv, the Stadtarchiv in Offenburg, and the Hauptregistratur Karlsruhe were ever accommodating. I would particularly like to thank the staff at Davis Library at the University of North Carolina as well as the inter-library loan departments at Loyola College of Maryland and Indiana State University. I owe an immense debt to the members of my committee. Don Reid has been an extraordinary mentor. Over the years, Don has shown me how to be a more imaginative historian, a stronger writer, and a more creative teacher. He has continually encouraged me to take intellectual risks, expand the scope of my work, and make it more relevant. Don’s ever-present enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity pushed me hard in the most positive, encouraging way imaginable. Without fail, his probing questions and insightful comments have led me to see intriguing connections and seek out new sources. And his patience and generosity know no bounds. Konrad Jarausch has served in an unofficial capacity as my second adviser for many years now. His uncanny ability to perceive every possible angle by which to come at a topic and size up the stakes has played a decisive role in shaping this project. His vast troves of knowledge are unparalleled. I cannot begin to thank him enough for his counsel and aid. Jay Smith has continually pushed me to contemplate knotty abstractions like identity, language, and experience and has thereby made me a far better scholar than nature intended. He has been a ready source of support and laughter as well as an unusually penetrating critic. Since my first week of graduate school, Lloyd Kramer’s incisiveness has helped me see the point more times than I care to admit. Christopher Browning has been a trenchant reader, who has helpfully seized vii upon inconsistencies and loose ends. Alice Kaplan warmly welcomed me to her Paris seminar at Duke and has continually reminded me of the insights to be gained by looking beyond the disciplinary boundaries of history. I am grateful for her wise comments and her generosity as a reader and a critic. Numerous friends and colleagues contributed to the project whether they realized it or not. In Chapel Hill, Todd Berryman, Karin Breuer, Christopher Hamner, and Sharon Kowalsky regularly rolled out the red carpet to put on fine feasts; their company is second to none. Todd helped lure me to Chapel Hill and subsequently ensured I never regretted that decision for a moment. Too many others showed their support, both intellectual and personal over the years. Particular appreciation goes out to Cora Granata, Doina Harsanyi, Ruth Homrighaus, Jon Olsen, Brian Puaca, and Adam Seipp. At Indiana State, Isaac Land and Barbara Skinner helpfully commented on several chapters. In Paris, Irene Perciali, as always, was a wonderful companion. The Le Foll family, Paul Cohen, Sanja Perovic, and Tanya Shashko made that year a very happy one. Corine Defrance generously shared some noteworthy documents in Colmar and continued our conversation on Franco-German relations in Berlin. There, Karina Pryt pointed me to several invaluable documents hidden among the files on Romania. In Berlin, Karin Goihl and Ilo Schultz ably took charge of practicalities, while Heather Gumbert and Karrin Hanshew proved great intellectual and moral support. Elizabeth Himelfarb Hurwitz, Donya Levine, and Maia Miller know how much they mean to me, but I will try again, however feebly, to thank them for everything they do. My family may be as close to perfect as it comes. Tom, Kathy, Matt, Elizabeth, and Julia have shown remarkable generosity, patience, and support; I am so lucky to have viii been welcomed into their family as a daughter and a sister. Chris Fischer has braved numerous early drafts and late night revising sessions. He sharpens my ideas, makes me think (and write) more clearly, and brings order to the chaos. As he knows only too well, this is also his. But there are far more important things for which I am grateful to him; simply put, he is too good. And it is thanks to the Passman family that this was possible. My parents, Richard and Jane, and my brother Josh have supported me without fail in everything I do. My parents’ constant privileging of learning, their fondness for travel, and their love of language and languages opened so many doors. They deserve far more than a dedication, but it comes with tremendous gratitude and great love. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS..………………………………………………………….xii INTRODUCTION….……………………………………………………………………..1 Part I: Intellectual Demobilization and the Problem of Understanding, 1925-1933…….26 Chapter I. THE MAYRISCH KOMITEE…………………………………………...31 II. THE DEUTSCH-FRANZÖSISCHE GESELLSCHAFT………………..74 III. THE SOHLBERGKREIS………………………………………………139 Part II: Maintaining a Franco-German Community, 1933-1944……………………….198