Lester Kruger Born, Ernst Maximilian Posner, and the American Influence on the Reshaping of German Archives after the Second World War

Abstract

At the end of the Second World War, the collapse of the Prussian archival system lead to a gap in archival administration. Education and training of archivsts who broke ties with Nazi-era principles, and who adopted ties to American archival theory and practice, became a priority. This article first examines the contribution of American archival protection officers to this endeavor, including the establishment of an archival school in the American Zone, and the influence of Ernst Posner's archival theory. This article examines the historical context of these events and concludes by asking the question of what traces the American commitment has left behind in the archival system of Germany.