Trends in Genetics
Volume 18, Issue 6, 1 June 2002, Pages 320-324
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How did East German genetics avoid Lysenkoism?

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Abstract

Lysenkoism gained favour in the Soviet Union during the 1930s and 1940s, replacing mendelian genetics. Opponents of Lysenko were dismissed from their jobs, imprisoned and, not infrequently, died. After World War II in some of the East European Soviet satellite states, Lysenkoism became the official genetics supported by the communist authorities, and thus, genetics and biology were set back many years. Yet the uptake of Lysenkoism was not uniform in the Eastern Bloc. The former East Germany (GDR) mostly escaped its influence, owing to the contribution of a few brave individuals and the fact that the country had an open border with the West (West Berlin).

Section snippets

The penetration of Lysenkoism into the GDR (East Germany)

It has to be remembered that during the Stalin era, the policies in the Eastern Bloc were dictated from Moscow, and so the 1948 Moscow conference and Lysenko's approval by Stalin signalled the transfer of these concepts into all other communist countries. The influence of Lysenko's ‘Michurinist Biology’ was strong in Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia – in both schools and universities. In these countries, the damage done by Lysenkoism to teaching and research in genetics and biology

Opposition of Lysenkoism by German geneticists

Opponents of Lysenkoism whose institutes were in West Berlin (American, British, French sectors) could express their opinion without any risk (e.g. Hans Kappert, Hans Nachtsheim, Elisabeth Schiemann and co-workers) 9., 10., 11.. The situation was different in the Soviet sector of Berlin. Several scientists who had initially been working in research institutes at Berlin-Buch or at the Humboldt University in East Berlin moved to West Berlin after the foundation of the ‘Free University’ in West

The decline of Lysenkoism

The GDR government and the communist party, led by Walter Ulbricht, were somewhat hesitant about promoting Lysenkoism. They were aware that scientists like Stubbe, Becker and Mothes had a great scientific reputation both in the country and internationally. Also, they watched the development of Lysenkoism in the USSR (after Stalin's death in 1953) and the reactions of the international scientific community. Furthermore, the government was well aware of the open border to West Berlin and could

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