Waldemar Besson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Waldemar Besson (born November 20, 1929 in Stuttgart , † June 12, 1971 in Konstanz ) was a German historian , political scientist and publicist . He taught as a professor in Erlangen and Konstanz.

Live and act

Board for Waldemar Besson in the Inselhotel in Konstanz

After graduating from high school in Bad Cannstatt, Besson studied history , political science and English in Tübingen from 1949 . In 1954 he received his doctorate as Dr. phil. He then went to the University of California in Santa Barbara for a year of study . Between 1954 and 1958 Besson was assistant to Hans Rothfels and then a private lecturer in Tübingen. In the early 1960s he moved to the University of Erlangen as a professor of political science , where he and his assistant Kurt Tudyka became the target of the conservative front of the brothers Marcel and Robert Hepp . From 1964 to 1965 Besson was dean of the political science faculty. In 1966 he moved to the new University of Konstanz as a professor of political science . He was also the university's prorector.

One of the main research areas was the analysis of German foreign policy. He advocated the thesis that the Federal Republic was not exhausting its room for maneuver vis-à-vis the world powers. On this subject he wrote the book The Foreign Policy of the Federal Republic . There were also publications about Franklin D. Roosevelt , the end of the Weimar Republic in Württemberg , a biography about Friedrich Ebert , a study of American foreign policy between Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, and numerous smaller scientific publications.

In addition to his academic teaching activities, Besson always interfered in political issues of the day. Although a CDU member himself , he and 29 other professors criticized the behavior of the federal government during the Spiegel affair in 1962 . Besson had "also good contacts to the SPD, whose 'Ostpolitik' he [...] supported journalistically as one of the first professors."

Besson wrote for newspapers and television. Among other things, he was a freelancer for ZDF , Süddeutscher and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR). He was a regular commentator for the BR between 1963 and 1969. Incidentally, he had been a member of the ZDF television council since 1962 . In spring 1971 he was the favorite of the chairman of the board of directors Helmut Kohl as director of the ZDF. Previously, Besson died surprisingly of complications from kidney stone disease.

Fonts

  • The Political Terminology of President Franklin D. Roosevelt . A study on the connection between language and politics , Mohr, Tübingen 1954 (Tübingen studies on history and politics, volume 1) (doctoral thesis Tübingen).
  • Württemberg and the German State Crisis 1928-1933. A study on the dissolution of the Weimar Republic , Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, Stuttgart 1959 (habilitation thesis Tübingen).
  • (as editor): Geschichte , Fischer, Frankfurt / M. 1961 (Fischer-Lexikon, Volume 24) (and later editions).
  • Friedrich Ebert . Merit and Limit , Musterschmidt, Göttingen 1963 (Personality and History, Volume 30) (2nd edition 1970).
  • (as editor): History and Consciousness of the Present. Historical considerations and investigations; Festschrift for Hans Rothfels on his 70th birthday , Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1963.
  • From Roosevelt to Kennedy. Principles of American Foreign Policy 1933-1963 , Fischer, Frankfurt / M. 1964.
  • (together with Gotthard Jasper ): The model of modern democracy. Construction elements of a free state order , List, Munich 1965 (4th edition 1971).
  • The great powers. Structural issues of current world politics , Rombach, Freiburg / Br. 1966.
  • The foreign policy of the Federal Republic. Experiences and standards , Piper, Munich 1970, ISBN 3-492-01841-6 .
  • Experienced contemporary history critically observed. 44 pieces of political journalism , Südkurier, Konstanz 1970, ISBN 3-87799-001-0 .
  • The last Südkurier articles , Südkurier, Konstanz 1971.

literature

  • Munzinger: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 30/1971 from July 19, 1971.
  • Gotthard Jasper (Ed.): Tradition and Reform in German Politics. Commemorative document for Waldemar Besson, offered by friends, colleagues and students , Propylänen-Verlag, Frankfurt / M. 1976, ISBN 3-550-07332-1 (with bibliography).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nils Wegner: German history goes on ... - The brothers Marcel and Robert Hepp and their political path in the 1950s and 1960s. Berlin 2015, p. 55.
  2. ^ Rolf Rietzler: Mensch, Adolf. Hitler's image of the Germans since 1945. Munich 2016, p. 155.