Mobilizations and divisions of the scientific community in wartime

Abstract

This paper has a triple objective. On the one hand, it pretends to give an overview of the links between science, war and university during three key moments of contemporary history: the French Revolution, the Great War and the Second World War. Furthermore special attention is paid to the mobilization of actors, to changes in the organizational processes of science and to the creation of technical artifacts in each of the above warmongers situations. Thirdly we consider the fact that the scientific community tends to split at critical junctures. During the French Revolution the revolutionary messianism politicized science and it divided scientists within their country. A century later, in the early twentieth century, the nationalist messianism dominated the political scene. This messianism raised controversy among scientists, not only within their respective states, but also between the various states of the international community.