About the project

The Nazi persecution of lecturers and administrators has been dealt with in scolarly texts and memorial texts of the Hochschule für Welthandel (University of World Trade) in the aftermath of the Second World War. In November 2012 we began intensive research on the students. Their names and fates constitute the biggest part of this memorial book and of a monument that has been inaugurated on 1 May 2014 on the campus of Vienna University of Economics and Business, the successor of the University of World Trade. The initial research is based on documents found in the archives and student registration office of the Vienna University of Economics and Business. In addition, we used further resources such as internet archives that are recognized as reliable sources of information on Nazi persecution. There is unfortunately only scant documentation and information to be found for a number of persons. The research has been hindered to some extent by the destruction of documents or loss of contemporary sources throughout and following the war. Given the many decades that have passed since the Anschluss, it was only in very few cases possible to conduct interviews with witnesses of the time.

Who is recorded in this memorial book and on the monument? In addition to the lecturers and administrators that were “cleansed” from the University of World Trade between 1938 and 1945, there are short biographical entries on students who were prevented by reason of race, politics, or world view to continue or finish their studies, to complete their exams, or to have their doctoral degree conferred onto to them as foreseen by study regulations respectively doctoral degree regulations. Among the victims of the oppression and persecution of the Nazi regime are full and part-time master’s students (Diplomstudium) as well as those who were working toward a doctorate in commerce/business. Students who were stripped of previously awarded academic degrees are also included as victims of persecution under the Third Reich. All of these people were hindered in developing their personal as well as professional capabilities, and a number of former students of the University of World Trade lost their lives in the Holocaust or during the war.

Under the following circumstances, persons are generally not considered victims of Nazi oppression, except in individually specific and historically verifiable cases of persecution:

• if they continued their studies at a different university within the German Reich after the Anschluss between Germany and Austria;
• if they were able to complete their studies either at the Hochschule für Welthandel or at another university within the German Reich by May 8, 1945;
• if they had not attended courses or written exams at the Hochschule für Welthandel for an extended period of time already prior to the Anschluss;
• if they declared their religion as “gottgläubig” (deistic), thereby using the ideologically colored terminology of the Third Reich and indicating proximity to the Nazi regime;
• if they left the university to undertake generally mandated obligations such as military service, labor service, or other student service occasionally required of students deemed unfit for military duty.

Excluded from the Memorial Book are persons who

• belonged to the NSDAP or SS;
• underwent officer training in armed units of the Third Reich.

In general, those students are not taken up into the Memorial Book who have been barred from studies because they came from countries which have been identified as “enemy nations” by the Greater German Reich in the course of the Second World War. The reason lies in the fact that barring students from “enemy nations” was not restricted to the National Socialist regime.

References to nationality and geographic descriptions are taken directly from the source material, and therefore reflect the situation of the time. This has the following consequences:

• In some cases, cities may not be assigned to the countries in which they are found today. A city such as Lemberg, for example, belonged in the year 1938 not to the Ukraine but to Poland
• If the file indicates German-Austrian citizenship, this designation will be used.
• If the file indicates multiple citizenships such as Austria, German Reich, and/or Ostmark, then all of these designations are entered into the database. It is relevant to note that the Austrian citizenship officially ceased to exist following a decree by the Interior Ministry of the German Reich on July 3, 1938, after which only German citizenship was recognized.

As a rule, the Commemorative Book contains the biographies exclusively in German. For a translation into another language, it is recommended to use (online) dictionaries, virtual translation tools such as Deepl or Google Translate or to use artificial intelligence.

For amendments or additions to the database, please contact us.

The memorial project has been supported by the rectorate of the Vienna University of Economcis and Business. It has been co-funded by the Future Fund of the Republic of Austria and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for the Victims of National Socialism.

 

 

Editorial Staff

Project leader: Univ. Prof. Dr. Peter Berger

Project editor: Dr. Johannes Koll