Fleeing Nazi Germany

Thousands of European intellectuals fled from fascism to America in the days leading up to World War II. They had tremendous obstacles, but many of them found success and made meaningful contributions.

Historian Allan Mitchell knew five notable scholars of history who escaped, and he recounts in vivid detail their early careers and their successes as historians of Europe. He provides biographies of the following:

Felix Gilbert, who taught at Bryn Mawr College and Princetons Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton
Klemens von Klemperer, who studied at Harvard University, served in the US Army during World War II, and joined the faculty at Smith College
Werner Tom Angress, who battled an identity crisis before journeying to America and earned a purple heart and bronze star during World War II, later going on to teach at the State University of New York in Stony Brook
Peter Gay, who taught at Columbia and Yale universities and became a prolific author, writing dozens of books
Fritz Stern, who also taught at Columbia University and became a renowned author

Discover the contributions these five men made as historians and the personal obstacles they overcame to find a better life in the United States in Fleeing Nazi Germany.