Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California University History Series Department of History at Berkeley Gene Brucker HISTORIAN OF RENAISSANCE FLORENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, 1954-1991 With an introduction by Randolph R. Starn An Interview Conducted by Ann Lage in 2002 Copyright © 2005 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and Gene Brucker, dated December 11, 2002. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Gene Brucker, “Historian of Renaissance Florence, University of California, Berkeley, 1954-1991,” an oral history conducted in 2002 by Ann Lage, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2005. Copy no. ______ Gene Brucker Photo by Lensart Studio ca. 1990 TABLE OF CONTENTS -- Gene Brucker SERIES PREFACE i SERIES LIST v INTRODUCTION by Randolph R. Starn vii INTERVIEW HISTORY by Ann Lage xi I. PERSONAL BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION TO 1943 [Interview 1: August 21, 2002] Childhood on the Farm in Cropsey, Illinois 1 Family Life and Early Education 3 Economics and Politics in the Depression 5 Life in Rural Illinois 9 Mother’s Lutheran Beliefs 11 Prelude to World War II 13 Early Intellectual Interests and Influences 14 University of Illinois, 1941-1943, Influential Professors and Courses 15 Enlistment in the Army and Military Training at the University of Alabama 17 II. MILITARY SERVICE IN EUROPE AND THE PACIFIC, MASTERS AT ILLINOIS [Interview 2: August 28, 2002] Arrival in Paris, October 1944 23 Establishing Supply Depot in Marseille 24 End of War in Europe, Travel to South Pacific on Lurline 26 Army Experiences in Postwar Yokohama, Interactions with Japanese 27 Soldiers’ Reactions to News of Atomic Bomb 28 Experience in Southern France 29 Leaving the Army and Reentering College, Master’s Thesis, Rhodes Scholarship 32 Role of Fortune in Human Affairs 35 III. OXFORD, 1948-1950, AND PRINCETON, 1950-1952, FULBRIGHT IN FLORENCE [Interview 3: September 4, 2002] More on Master’s Thesis about Jean-Sylvain Bailly 37 Oxford Tutorials with F. W. Deakin and Cecilia Ady, Thesis on Machiavelli 38 Discipline of History at Oxford 42 Interest in Renaissance Italy 43 Return to US, Enrollment at Princeton, Work with Theodor Mommsen 44 Women in Academia in 1950s 46 PhD Dissertation Research under Mommsen and Joseph Strayer 46 Fulbright Scholarship, Entering the Florentine Archives, 1952 49 Attraction of the Italian Renaissance to Historians 51 IV. FURTHER THOUGHTS ON OXFORD, GRADUATE STUDIES AT PRINCETON, AND RENAISSANCE SCHOLARSHIP [Interview 4: October 29, 2002] More about Work on Machiavelli with Cecilia Ady at Oxford 53 Social Life at Oxford, English In-Laws, Wife’s Adjustment to America 54 More about Theodor Mommsen, and Ernst Kantorowicz and Felix Gilbert 56 Brucker’s Shift from Political to Social History 59 Doctoral Oral Exam and Committee 61 Renaissance Scholarship after World War II 62 Influence of Nationality on Historiography 63 Richness and Diversity of Florentine Archives 65 V. FLORENCE AND THE FLORENTINE ARCHIVES, 1952-1954 [Interview 5: October 16, 2002] Rhodes Scholarship in 1948; Meeting Albert Einstein and John von Neumann 69 Witnessing the Italian Election of 1953 70 Pensione in Perugia, Italian Political Views 71 Life in Florence; Dealing with Italian Bureaucracy 73 Domestic and Social Life in Florence 75 Working in the Archives 77 Handwritten Notes, and Help from Gino Corti 79 Framing the Problems, Vetting the Documents 80 Other Scholars in the Archives; Lauro Martines, Donald Weinstein, Marvin Becker, Philip Jones, Nicolai Rubenstein 83 American Influence on Revitalizing Florentine History 85 Hans Baron; Controversial Personality and Work 87 VI. COMPLETING THE DISSERTATION, FIRST BOOK, AND EARLY YEARS AT BERKELEY [Interview 6: October 23, 2002] Social Life of Archive Scholars, the Latteria 91 Writing Dissertation under Theodor Mommsen 93 Further Research, Book Publication of Dissertation 95 Job Offer as Instructor at Berkeley, 1954 96 Promotion to Assistant Professor 97 Teaching, Quality of Students 98 Berkeley Atmosphere 100 History Department: Academic Politics, Social Life 101 Teaching with Faculty in Other Departments 104 Service on the Budget Committee, 1974-1978; Its Role in Appointments and Promotions 105 Increase of Women on Faculty 107 VII. BERKELEY AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES [Interview 7: October 30, 2002] Correspondence with Friends at Berkeley while in Florence, 1964-65 and 1968-69 109 Roger Heyns and William Bouwsma as Administrators 111 Changing Faculty Attitudes and Teaching after the Free Speech Movement 112 Plan to Donate Correspondence to Bancroft 114 Appointed Chair of History Department, 1969-1972 115 Recruiting Scholars: Martin Jay, Tulio Halperin, Thomas Smith, and the Return of Bill Bouwsma 116 Other Appointments in History 119 Process of Searching and Recruitment, Role of Tenure Committee 121 Appointment of Natalie Davis to the History Faculty 124 The History Department and the Antiwar Movement 126 VIII. HISTORY AT BERKELEY [Interview 8: November, 13, 2002] The Cohort of Historians Hired in the 1960s 129 Criteria for Evaluating Work of Prospective Faculty 131 Endowed Professorships 132 History Faculty Who Left Berkeley 133 Faculty Not Granted Tenure 137 Attempts to Recruit Minority Historians 140 Thoughts on the Quarter System 142 IX. MORE ON CHAIRING THE DEPARTMENT AND SERVICE ON THE ACADEMIC SENATE [Interview 9: November 20, 2002] Controversy over Reginald Zelnik’s Promotion to Tenure 145 Private Lives of Faculty: Divorces 147 Colleagues and Collegiality on the Budget Committee, Faculty Role in Personnel Decisions at Berkeley 148 Secrecy of Budget Committee Proceedings 152 Role of Policy Committee 153 Service as Chair of Berkeley Division of Academic Senate, 1984-1986; Controversies over Relationship with Lawrence Laboratories, Divestment from South Africa 155 Role of Chair of the Academic Senate; Service on Academic Council 158 Scholars as Administrators 161 X. RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS [Interview 10: December 4, 2002] Florentine Politics and Society, 1343-1378 and The Civic World of Early Renaissance Florence 165 Renaissance Florence and a Coffee Table Book on Florence 167 Popular and Scholarly Writing and Different Approaches to Historical Writing 169 Giovanni and Lusanna, a Microhistory 171 Methods of Research and Writing, and Evocative Sources 175 Two Memoirs of Renaissance Florence 177 Scholarly Criticism of Brucker’s Work 178 Opinion of Marxist and Postmodernist Historians 180 Accident and Contingency in Human Affairs 182 Other Works, Works in Progress 183 Other Historians’ Work on the Florentine Church 185 Influence of Intellectual Atmosphere at Berkeley on Brucker’s Work 187 XI. LIFE IN FLORENCE AND AT VILLA I TATTI, TEACHING AT BERKELEY, RETIREMENT [Interview 11: December 11, 2002] Evaluating Florentine Historiography, Writing Book Reviews 189 Sabbatical at Villa I Tatti, 1983 191 Life in Florence, Change in City’s Economic Base, Tourism 196 Brucker Children’s Education in Italy 198 Flood of 1966 in Florence 199 Renaissance Society of America; Presidency, Awards 200 Other Major Florentine Historians 201 Difficulties and Stress of Teaching 202 Working with Graduate Students; Dissertations 205 Finding Jobs for Graduates 207 Women PhD Students 208 Research Lecture on History at Berkeley 209 Importance of Correspondence 210 Gift of Books to Valente Library at Seton Hall 212 i PREFACE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AT BERKELEY ORAL HISTORY SERIES The Department of History at Berkeley oral history series grew