Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften | |
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| Established | 1700 |
|---|---|
| Location | , |
| Language | French |
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TheRoyal Prussian Academy of Sciences (German:Königlich-Preußische Akademie der Wissenschaften) was anacademy established inBerlin, Germany on 11 July 1700, four years after thePrussian Academy of Arts, or "Arts Academy," to which "Berlin Academy" may also refer.[1][2][3] In the 18th century, when French was the language of science and culture, it was aFrench-language institution.
Prince-electorFrederick III ofBrandenburg, Germany founded the Academy under the name ofKurfürstlich Brandenburgische Societät der Wissenschaften ("Electoral-Brandenburger Society of Sciences") upon the advice ofGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who was appointed president. Unlike other Academies, the Prussian Academy was not directly funded out of the state treasury. Frederick granted it themonopoly on producing and sellingcalendars in Brandenburg, a suggestion from Leibniz. As Frederick was crowned "King in Prussia" in 1701, creating theKingdom of Prussia, the Academy was renamedKöniglich Preußische Sozietät der Wissenschaften ("Royal Prussian Society of Sciences"). While other Academies focused on a few topics, the Prussian Academy was the first to teach both sciences and humanities. In 1710, the Academy statute was set, dividing the Academy into two sciences and two humanities classes. This was not changed until 1830, when the physics-mathematics and the philosophy-history classes replaced the four old classes.[1][2]
The reign ofKing Frederick II of Prussia ("Frederick the Great") saw major changes to the Academy. In 1744, theNouvelle Société Littéraire and the Society of Sciences were merged into theKönigliche Akademie der Wissenschaften ("Royal Academy of Sciences"). An obligation from the new statute were public calls for ideas on unsolved scientific questions with a monetary reward for solutions. The Academy acquired its own research facilities in the 18th century, including anobservatory in 1709; ananatomical theater in 1717; aCollegium medico-chirurgicum in 1723; abotanical garden in 1718; and alaboratory in 1753. However, those were later taken over by theUniversity of Berlin.
As a French-language institution its publications were in French such as theHistoire de l'Académie royale des sciences et belles lettres de Berlin which was published between 1745 and 1796.
A linguistics historian fromPrinceton University,Hans Aarsleff, notes that before Frederick ascended the throne in 1740, the academy was overshadowed by similar bodies inLondon andParis. Frederick made French the official language and speculative philosophy the most important topic of study. The membership was strong in mathematics and philosophy, and included notable philosophers such asImmanuel Kant,Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert,Pierre-Louis de Maupertuis, andEtienne de Condillac. However, the academy was in a crisis for two decades at mid-century, due to scandals and internal rivalries such as the debates betweenNewtonianism andLeibnizian views, and the personality conflicts between the philosopherVoltaire and the mathematicianMaupertuis. At a higher level, Maupertuis, the director from 1746 to 1759 and amonarchist, argued that the action of individuals was shaped by the character of the institution that contained them, and they worked for the glory of the state. By contrast, d'Alembert took arepublican rather than monarchical approach and emphasized the internationalRepublic of Letters as the vehicle for scientific advance.[4] By 1789, however, the academy had gained an international repute while making major contributions to German culture and thought. Frederick invitedJoseph-Louis Lagrange to succeedLeonhard Euler as director; both were world-class mathematicians. Other intellectuals attracted to the philosopher's kingdom wereFrancesco Algarotti,Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, andJulien Offray de La Mettrie.Immanuel Kant published religious writings in Berlin which would have been censored elsewhere in Europe.[1][2][5]
Beginning in 1815, research businesses led by Academy committees (such as the Greek-Roman Archeology Committee or the Oriental Committee) were founded at the Academy. They employed mostly scientists to work alongside the corresponding committee's members. University departments emanated from some of these businesses after 1945.
On 25 November 1915Albert Einstein presented his field equations ofgeneral relativity to the Academy.
Underthe rule of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, the Academy was subject to theGleichschaltung, a "Nazification" process that was established to taketotalitarian control over various aspects of society. However, compared with other institutions, such as the universities whereJewish employees and members were expelled starting in 1933, Jewish Academy members were not expelled until 1938, following a direct request by the Ministry of Education.[6]The new Academy statute went into effect on 8 June 1939, reorganizing the Academy according to the Nazi leadership principle (theFührerprinzip).
FollowingWorld War II, theSoviet Military Administration in Germany, or SMAD, reorganized the Academy under the name ofDeutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin (English:German Academy of Sciences at Berlin) on 1 July 1946. In 1972, it was renamedAkademie der Wissenschaften der DDR orAdW (English:Academy of Sciences of the GDR). At its height, the AdW had 400 researchers and 24,000 employees in locations acrossEast Germany. FollowingGerman Reunification, the Academy was disbanded and theBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften ("Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities") was founded in its place, in compliance with a 1992 treaty between theState Parliaments of Berlin and Brandenburg. Sixty of the AdW members broke off and created the private Leibniz Society in 1993.[7]
