The Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture (German: Reichsministerium für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung, also unofficially known as the "Reich Education Ministry" (German: Reichserziehungsministerium), or "REM") existed from 1934 until 1945 under the leadership of Bernhard Rust and was responsible for unifying the education system of Nazi Germany and aligning it with the goals of Nazi leadership.
| Reichsministerium für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung | |
.svg) | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 May 1934 |
| Dissolved | 23 May 1945 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Nazi Germany |
| Minister responsible | |
Background
editThe REM was the successor to the former Preußisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Kunst und Volksbildung (Prussian Ministry of Science, Art and Culture), creating for the first time in Germany a centralized and hierarchical institution in control of the Reich's education sector. In 1934, the REM took over from the Reichsinnenministerium (Reich Interior Ministry) the supervision of colleges and universities in Germany, as well as research institutions such as the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt (abbreviated PTR; translation: Reich Physical and Technical Institute.); today, the PTR is known as the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt.[1]
Administrators
edit| No. | Portrait | Minister of Culture | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernhard Rust (1883–1945) | 1 May 1934 | 30 April 1945 | 10 years, 333 days | NSDAP | Hitler | [1] | |
| 2 | Gustav Adolf Scheel (1907–1979) | 30 April 1945 | 2 May 1945 | 2 days | NSDAP | Goebbels | – | |
| 3 | Wilhelm Stuckart (1902–1953) | 5 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 18 days | NSDAP | Flensburg Government | – |
Heads of the REM Amt für Wissenschaft (Science Office)
edit| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Theodor Vahlen | 1934 | 1937 |
–
|
Otto Wacker | 1937 | 1939 |
|
Rudolf Mentzel | May 1939 | 1945 |
Bibliography
edit- Hentschel, Klaus, editor, and Ann M. Hentschel, editorial assistant and Translator. Physics and National Socialism: An Anthology of Primary Sources (Birkhäuser, 1996)