Peter Staudenmaier: Waldorf advocates who were Nazis
07.Jan.2008 21:21 Uhr Abgelegt in:Anthroposophie | Nationalsozialismus
The majority faction within the Waldorf movement during the Third Reich did not belong to the Nazi party, as far as I have been able to determine, or to its more notorious affiliated organizations (Waldorf teachers did belong to the Nazi teachers association), and their various expressions of sympathy for National Socialism were not for the most part accompanied by active participation in Nazism. But alongside this majority faction was another grouping, smaller but very vocal and for a time quite influential within the Waldorf milieu. This second faction included several active Nazis. It is worth noting that the mainstream Waldorf leadership sometimes boasted of its close working relationship with this openly pro-Nazi tendency within the Waldorf movement.
The most important members of the explicitly Nazi-affiliated Waldorf grouping were Eugen Link, Margarete Link, Leo Tölke, Hermann Mahle, Els Moll, and Hans Pohlmann. While the Nazi-affiliated Waldorf advocates did not all share the same vision for how to integrate Waldorf education into the National Socialist project, they did consider anthroposophy and Waldorf compatible with and congruent with Nazi ideals. Here is some basic information on each of them.
Eugen and Margarete Link, a longtime anthroposophist couple and parents of four Waldorf pupils, had known Steiner personally and belonged to the Anthroposophical Society from 1924 onward. Eugen Link was an officer in the Luftwaffe and worked on the construction of the Autobahn, while Margarete Link devoted much of her time to advancing the Waldorf cause through her various Nazi connections. Both were party members and served on influential Waldorf boards and committees.
Leo Tölke, father of four Waldorf pupils, was secretary of the Stuttgart Waldorf school and worked for the publishing arm of the Waldorf movement. He was a member of the Anthroposophical Society until mid-1934, held a position in the SA, and has been described as a “dedicated National Socialist.” (Uwe Werner, Anthroposophen in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, 118)
Another Waldorf parent, industrialist Hermann Mahle, was a prominent Waldorf official and belonged to the Christian Community. Mahle was also a Nazi party member, and one of the leading Waldorf representatives in negotiations with various party and state agencies in 1934 and 1935. Mahle additionally headed the “National Socialist Parents Group” at the Stuttgart Waldorf school, which included 53 party members and 22 members of other Nazi organizations.
Els Moll, member of the Anthroposophical Society since 1925, was among the most outspokenly Nazi advocates for Waldorf education during her time as a teacher at the Stuttgart school in 1933 and 1934. Both she and Margarete Link remained committed supporters of Waldorf for a long time after parting ways with the Stuttgart school. Moll receives a fair bit of attention in anthroposophist accounts of the Waldorf movement during the Nazi era.
Perhaps the most noteworthy and hitherto neglected member of the openly pro-Nazi Waldorf faction was Hans Pohlmann, a wealthy building contractor and longstanding anthroposophist who had known Steiner personally. Pohlmann founded the second Waldorf school in Germany in Hamburg-Wandsbek in 1922. With the exception of the failed schools in Cologne and Essen, the Wandsbek school was the only other German Waldorf school besides the Stuttgart school established during Steiner’s lifetime, and its initial faculty and curriculum were overseen by Steiner directly. Pohlmann’s role thus paralleled that of Emil Molt at the Stuttgart school. In 1933, the Wandsbek school was the second largest in Germany, after the original Stuttgart school. Pohlmann, who also headed a branch of the Anthroposophical Society in Hamburg, remained chairman of the local Waldorf school association throughout the Wandsbek school’s first seventeen years of existence. He joined the Nazi party some time before 1934. Basic background on Pohlmann can be found in Götte, “Erfahrungen mit Schulautonomie,” 299-302. Other anthroposophist sources seem remarkably reticent to discuss Pohlmann and his contributions to the Waldorf movement; Deuchert does not mention him, and Werner refers to him only in passing. None of the existing literature mentions his Nazi party membership.
The most important members of the explicitly Nazi-affiliated Waldorf grouping were Eugen Link, Margarete Link, Leo Tölke, Hermann Mahle, Els Moll, and Hans Pohlmann. While the Nazi-affiliated Waldorf advocates did not all share the same vision for how to integrate Waldorf education into the National Socialist project, they did consider anthroposophy and Waldorf compatible with and congruent with Nazi ideals. Here is some basic information on each of them.
Eugen and Margarete Link, a longtime anthroposophist couple and parents of four Waldorf pupils, had known Steiner personally and belonged to the Anthroposophical Society from 1924 onward. Eugen Link was an officer in the Luftwaffe and worked on the construction of the Autobahn, while Margarete Link devoted much of her time to advancing the Waldorf cause through her various Nazi connections. Both were party members and served on influential Waldorf boards and committees.
Leo Tölke, father of four Waldorf pupils, was secretary of the Stuttgart Waldorf school and worked for the publishing arm of the Waldorf movement. He was a member of the Anthroposophical Society until mid-1934, held a position in the SA, and has been described as a “dedicated National Socialist.” (Uwe Werner, Anthroposophen in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, 118)
Another Waldorf parent, industrialist Hermann Mahle, was a prominent Waldorf official and belonged to the Christian Community. Mahle was also a Nazi party member, and one of the leading Waldorf representatives in negotiations with various party and state agencies in 1934 and 1935. Mahle additionally headed the “National Socialist Parents Group” at the Stuttgart Waldorf school, which included 53 party members and 22 members of other Nazi organizations.
Els Moll, member of the Anthroposophical Society since 1925, was among the most outspokenly Nazi advocates for Waldorf education during her time as a teacher at the Stuttgart school in 1933 and 1934. Both she and Margarete Link remained committed supporters of Waldorf for a long time after parting ways with the Stuttgart school. Moll receives a fair bit of attention in anthroposophist accounts of the Waldorf movement during the Nazi era.
Perhaps the most noteworthy and hitherto neglected member of the openly pro-Nazi Waldorf faction was Hans Pohlmann, a wealthy building contractor and longstanding anthroposophist who had known Steiner personally. Pohlmann founded the second Waldorf school in Germany in Hamburg-Wandsbek in 1922. With the exception of the failed schools in Cologne and Essen, the Wandsbek school was the only other German Waldorf school besides the Stuttgart school established during Steiner’s lifetime, and its initial faculty and curriculum were overseen by Steiner directly. Pohlmann’s role thus paralleled that of Emil Molt at the Stuttgart school. In 1933, the Wandsbek school was the second largest in Germany, after the original Stuttgart school. Pohlmann, who also headed a branch of the Anthroposophical Society in Hamburg, remained chairman of the local Waldorf school association throughout the Wandsbek school’s first seventeen years of existence. He joined the Nazi party some time before 1934. Basic background on Pohlmann can be found in Götte, “Erfahrungen mit Schulautonomie,” 299-302. Other anthroposophist sources seem remarkably reticent to discuss Pohlmann and his contributions to the Waldorf movement; Deuchert does not mention him, and Werner refers to him only in passing. None of the existing literature mentions his Nazi party membership.