Karl Schmid (philologist, 1907)

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Karl Schmid (born March 31, 1907 in Zurich ; † August 4, 1974 in Bassersdorf near Zurich) was a Swiss philologist , Germanist and literary scholar .

Life

Karl Schmid, son of the Germanist Karl Schmid-Hunziker , studied German and history at the University of Zurich and the Humboldt University in Berlin from 1926 to 1934 . In 1934 he was with Emil Ermatinger with a thesis on Schiller's design way doctorate . From 1931 to 1938 he worked as a secondary school teacher, from 1938 to 1947 as a teacher of German and history at the cantonal high school in Zurich.

In 1944 he received a reputation as a full Professor of German Language and Literature at the ETH Zurich , in 1947 he was appointed professor selected. From 1953 to 1957 he was rector of the ETH Zurich. In 1974 he retired .

Karl Schmid was a militia member of the Swiss Army from 1927 to 1970 , most recently as a colonel in the general staff and chief of staff of the 3rd Army Corps. As Colonel of the General Staff, he was a speaker for the army and house . From 1967 to 1970 he was the head of the Federal Council's study commission for strategic questions . He married the actress Elsie Attenhofer in 1940 . The children Christoph and Regine emerged from the marriage.

Act

Karl Schmid was not only active as a university lecturer and rector at the ETH Zurich, but was also particularly committed as a Germanist and writer, and also as a soldier. With his publications on Switzerland and Europe , he was one of the Swiss thought leaders. His essays On the Mental Condition of the Soldier and The Soldier and Death as well as his publications The Artillery as a Leadership Element, The Changes in the Spirit of Leadership, Psychological Aspects of Total War and, in particular, On the Death of the General contributed significantly to the formation of opinion in post-war Switzerland. He was considered an expert in national military defense, a leading science politician and, as a liberal-conservative intellectual, was an important voice, especially with his book Uneasiness in the Small State from 1963.

The Karl Schmid Foundation, established in 1992, together with the Research Center for Security Policy and Conflict Analysis at the ETH Zurich, hold regular conferences on security-political and military-historical topics. The Karl Schmid Prize has been awarded since 2000 for outstanding contributions to the understanding of fundamental questions in literature, history and the present. Karl-Schmid-Strasse , located between the two main buildings of the ETH and the university, was named after him.

Awards and honors

Memberships and engagements

  • 1944–1973 Confederation
  • 1947–1974 PEN Club , Academic Society of Swiss Germanists
  • 1954–1973 Secretary of the Charles Veillon Prize
  • 1956–1974 Swiss Writers' Association (board member from 1968)
  • 1959–1965 President of Swiss Foreign Aid
  • 1959–1967 Literature Commission of the Canton of Zurich
  • 1962–1972 Vice President of the Jubilee Foundation of the Swiss Bank Corporation SBG
  • 1966–1970 Study Commission of the FDJP for civil protection
  • 1967–1970 President of the Study Commission for Strategic Questions (SSF)
  • 1969–1972 President of the Swiss Science Council

literature

  • Emmi Blaser: Directory of publications and lectures by Karl Schmid (1907–1974). Series of publications by the ETH Library, No. 18, Zurich 1976.
  • Marie-Claire Däniker and Klaus Urner : Estate of Prof. Dr. Karl Schmid, 1907–1974. Zurich 1983 (publications of the Archives for Contemporary History ETHZ: holdings).
  • Karl Schmid: Collected works in 6 volumes. Published on behalf of the Karl Schmid Foundation by Thomas Sprecher and Judith Niederberger, NZZ Libro, Zurich 1998, ISBN 978-3-03823-842-3 .
  • Karl Schmid: Collected Letters (1918–1974). 2 volumes, published by Sylvia Rüdin on behalf of the Karl Schmid Foundation, NZZ Libro, Zurich 2000, ISBN 978-3-85823-671-5 .
  • Thomas spokesman, Daniel Schmid: Schmid, Karl. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
  • Thomas Speaker: Karl Schmid (1907–1974) - a Swiss citizen. Biography, NZZ Libro, Zurich 2013, ISBN 978-3-03823-827-0 .

exhibition

  • September 18, 2007 - March 2, 2008 “Uneasiness in a Small State”, Museum Bärengasse 22, Zurich

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Attenhofer, Elsie. In: Walter Habel (Ed.): Who is who? The German Who's Who. XXIV edition of Degener's “Who is it”? Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1985, p. 30.