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Peter Ludwig Berger

Born: 11-07-1896
Faculty: Law School
Category: Deprivation of academic degree
Peter Ludwig BERGER (born on November 7th, 1896 in Baden/Lower Austria, died 1978 in Vienna), had graduated at the Law School at the University of Vienna on February 21st, 1921 with the academic degree 'Dr. iur.'. Peter Ludwig Berger became a journalist, lawyer and a sociologist. Until 1938 he lived in Baden, Welzergasse 11. Together with his wife Angela he emigrated to Rio de Janeiro/Brasilia in 1938 and to the USA in 1940. He was deprived of german citizenship on January 15th, 1941. In times of Nazism he was deprived of his academic degree on May 8th, 1941 with the racist argument, that he as a Jew was not considered dignified an academic degree of a German university ('eines akademischen Grades einer deutschen Hochschule unwürdig').  He returned to Autria in 1953 and becames a university professor and the chief editor of the journal "Der Donauraum" and general secretary of the "Forschungsgemeinschaft für den Donauraum" in Vienna. He dies in Vienna in 1978.
It took 62 years since the deprivation - and a very long time since the end of Nazism - until the regranting of the doctorate took finally place on April 10th, 2003 posthumously in a solemn ceremony.


Lit.: POSCH/STADLER 2005; Jewish History Baden and List "Juden in Niederösterreich" (doc), Cited there: Niederösterreichisches Landesarchiv (NÖLA), VerzüJV, Karton 1316.


Peter Ludwig Berger, graduation and deprivation of the doctorate, 'Promotionsprotokoll' Law School 1920-1924, Photo: Herbert Posch, (c) Archiv Universität Wien

Peter Ludwig Berger, regranting of the doctorate on April 10th, 2003, 'Promotionsprotokoll' Law School 1920-1924, Photo: Herbert Posch, (c) Archiv Universität Wien
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