Scope and Content Note
The papers of Waldemar Gurian (1902-1954) span the years 1916-1976, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period between 1937 and 1954. The collection focuses on Gurian's work as historian, political scientist, writer, editor, and educator. It consists of four series: Correspondence , Writings , Miscellany , and Oversize . Included in the papers are correspondence, notes, writings, newspaper clippings, and other material pertaining to Gurian's career. Approximately half of the collection is written in English, while most of the other half is in German. In addition, there are also small amounts of material in French and Russian.
The Correspondence series documents Gurian's private and professional life from his university days to his death. Topics of interest include bolshevism, totalitarianism, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, contemporary Catholicism in France, and Catholic writers and intellectuals. Prominent correspondents include Paul Adams, Hannah Arendt, Hugo Ball, Herbert Dankworth, Emmy Hennings, Ferdinand Aloys Hermens, Wilhelm Hoffmann, Otto Karrer, Franz A. Kramer, Elisabeth Langgässer, Jacques Maritain, Karl Thieme, and Erich Voegelin.
The Writings series consists primarily of works by Gurian but also contains works by others. There are numerous articles and reviews and material relating to many of Gurian's best known books, such as Bolschewismus als Weltgefahr (1935),Bolshevism: An Introduction to Soviet Communism (1952),The Catholic Church in World Affairs (1954),Der Kampf um die Kirche im Dritten Reich (1936), and The Soviet Union: Background, Ideology, Reality (1951). Of particular interest is the material relating to Deutsch Briefe, an eight-page mimeographed newsletter Gurian edited with Otto Michael Knab in Switzerland from 1934 to 1938. This makeshift publication, which sought to maintain religious truth and publicize the activities of Hitler and the National Socialist regime, was one of the last forums for scholarly religious discussion within the German-speaking cultural sphere at the time. The series also contains a small amount of material relating to Gurian's frequent lectures, particularly those he gave on the Soviet Union and its influence on global politics. Writings by others include articles primarily by friends and colleagues as well as a German transcription of the published journal of Léon Bloy and drafts of Heinz Hürten's biography of Gurian.
The Miscellany series consists of address and book lists, biographical material, notebooks, material relating to Gurian's death, requests for relief in post World War II Europe, papers concerning Gurian's tenure as professor at the University of Notre Dame, and files relating to the Review of Politics established by Gurian in 1938 at Notre Dame and edited by him until his death in 1954. Other files describe Gurian's first trip to Germany after World War II and include material relating to the 1935 pastoral letter of Roman Catholic bishops in Germany presenting their position toward the National Socialist government. Also of interest are files pertaining to Etienne Gilson, a French philosopher with whom Gurian disagreed in academic publications regarding France's role in East-West relations during the Cold War.
Oversize material consists of a bound volume of photocopied newspaper clippings relating toDeutsche Brieferemoved from the Writings series.