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Alpen-Adria Universitt Klagenfurt

A Survey of Austrian Culture/sterreichische Kultur und Geschichte - Eine


Einfhrung

FREUD AS A REFUGEE

mag. dr. Marco Messier

univ.bacc.soc. Ivana unjo

Klagenfurt, November 2015.

Probably one of the most influential figures of the 20 th century, a brilliant mind that his, I
can say, controversial ideas shocked humanity, but left an indelible mark on our culture and
opened the gates to the, until then unexplored, chambers of the human psyche. Sigmund Freud,
Austrian neurologist and psychologist, changed the way we think about ourselves. The man who
managed to shock his contemporaries is the man who moved the boundaries. His
psychoanalytic terms, such as id, ego, libido, neurosis and Oedipus complex, have become part
of the vocabulary that we use every day. He is the founder of psychoanalysis - the theory of
personality that emphasizes the influence of unconscious determinants of behavior, sexual and
aggressive instincts and lasting effects of early childhood experiences on later development of
personality. It is hard to imagine how radically he and his theory seemed to his contemporaries,
because, even today, he provokes us with his ideas and his legacy continues to influence the
psychology, literature, philosophy and art.
In this short essay, I will write about the events related to Freud, at the time when the
dictatorial and autocratic government of Adolf Hitler, with his National Socialist ideology slowly
began to rule Europe.
Austria, period from 1906 until 1913. Adolf Hitler and Sigmund Freud were living in
Vienna at the same time. After a difficult childhood in which it is considered that Adolf was
abused by his father, after bad grades in school, rebellious behavior and the death of his father,
he decides to make the next stage in his life: to fulfill his dreams in Vienna, becoming the artist.
Rejections from the Academy of Fine Arts, his mother's illness and the general struggle for
survival during the life of Vienna, all that filled his soul with dissatisfaction, enhancing existing
anger from childhood and contributing so that he stays in it for life.
At the same time, it was one of the best periods in Freuds life.
In the fall of 1909, when Hitler was living on the streets, Freud was emerging from a
protracted period of isolation. He had undergone an intense self analysis; he had composed and
published his first major work, The Interpretation of Dreams; and he was well begun in his
exploration of the unconscious (Edmundson, 2007).1
1 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 54-56). Bloomsbury UK. Kindle
Edition.

As the years passed, Adolf Hitler and his faith in it to become absolute dictator slowly
realized. He was the leader the National Socialist Party which eventually become more powerful.
In the meantime, he was accused of high treason and sentenced to a prison term of 5 years, which
he spent writing Mein Kampf - book that combines elements of autobiography and Hitler's
political and ideological point of view, which later became a principle of Nazi ideology.
On the first page of Mein Kampf; Hitler had announced that Austria must be made part
of the German nation, and now that he was in power, he was determined to bring this event to
pass (Edmundson, 2007).2
It was the year 1933, precisely on the 10 th of May, when the National Socialists in Berlin
committed genocide against the books. They burned through tens of thousands of books, today
world famous authors, among which are found the books of Sigmund Freud. Following this
event, he said:
What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burnt me; nowadays
they are content with burning my books.3

(Picture of books burning memorial in Berlin, at Bebelplatz)

2 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 102-103).
Bloomsbury UK. Kindle Edition
3 https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud#Quotations

Five years later, the Nazis began to take control of Austria.


In Februrary of 1938, Hitler gave a speech about German Reichstag. On that same day,
Freud's daughter Anna wrote a letter to close associate of Sigmund, to Ernest Jones.
There was an atmosphere of panic in Vienna, which has now calmed down a little. We
have not joined in the panic. It is too early, one can not yet fully assess the consequences of what
has happened.(...) It is perhaps easier for us than for others who are more mobile, we do not
need to consider many decisions since for us hardly any come into consideration (Edmundson,
2007).4
In this letter, Anna wanted to say that her father is too old and sick and that there is no will or
desire for him to escape from Vienna. In this period of his life, Sigmund Freud was almost 82
years old, and passed through more than 20 operations of his jaw.
But it was obvious that he must leave soon. Vienna's streets were flooded with shouts of
Nazi, there were swastikas everywhere. In March, America has expressed a desire to help Freud,
but for him, America was not worth even a good opinion.
America is a mistake, a giant mistake. 5
Soon Hitler's army crossed the border of Austria and began his attack on the Jews.
According to some psychologists, it is believed that Adolf, from his youth, carries anger toward
Jews, as the doctor who unfortunately could not save his mother was Jewish.
The streets became a sort of black carnival, an urban hell, where all the bottled-up
racial hatred of the last decades exploded into the open (Edundson, 2007).6
When Hitler announced to the world that he had absorbed Austria into the Reich, a gang
of Nazis invaded the Verlag, the printing press that published Freuds books. However, another
4 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 244-248). Bloomsbury UK.
Kindle Edition.

5 http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10017.Sigmund_Freud
6 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 553-556).
Bloomsbury UK. Kindle Edition.

group of Nazis also have appeared in Freud's house, where they were greeted by Martha, Freud's
wife. They took passports and all the money they had. Freud got out of bed so sick and began to
stare at the Nazis.
It was the stare that he used when, a psychoanalytic session completed, the patient
issued a disparaging or a discouraged remark (Edmundson, 2007).7
Princess Marie Bonaparte was one more person who was keen to help Freud and his
family with giving the money. The princess was also one of Freud's patients, who had been
treated for her sexual problems. She marveled at the ingenuity of Freud and once said that Freud
combines the powers of Einstein and Pasteur (Edundson, 2007).8
That day, on 22th of March 1938, there was a drop that overflowed the cup, and Freud
finally decided it was time to leave. The reason was the arrest of his daughter Anna, by the
Gestapo - Nazi police force. They were persuaded that the International Psychoanalytic
Association was a front for some antifascist political movement. Anna did not allow them to take
her father because he was old and sick, and offered herself to take her with them. No one knows
what exactly happened during the interrogation but in the end, Anna was free. One thing Freud
didn't know is that, before Anna left, Max Schur, Freud's personal physician, gave her a poison to
kill herself if the Nazis decided to torture her.
At home Freud walked and walked, smoked and smoked. At noon he could not eat. He
did not acknowledge anyone and said nothing. When Anna finally walked in the door early that
evening, exhausted from her ordeal, the restrained Freud did something, were told, that almost
no one had ever seen him do. Sigmund Freud showed emotion; the great stoic may even have
wept (Edmundson, 2007).9
7 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 848-850). Bloomsbury UK.
Kindle Edition.

8 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 909-910). Bloomsbury UK.
Kindle Edition.
9 Edmundson, Mark (2010-12-15). The Death of Sigmund Freud (Kindle Locations 1010-1012). Bloomsbury UK.
Kindle Edition.

Another person who helped Sigmund Freud to escape from Vienna was Anton
Sauenvald10. He was the Nazi who's task was to find Jews guilty of something so that more
pressure could be put on them to hand over more money. In the meantime, at Verlag, Sauenvald
was making discoveries about Freud by reading his books and letters. Even today, no one knows
the real reasons why he helped him. After Sauenvald finally signed the papers, saying that there
was no reason to prevent Freud's leaving, he and his familiy was free to go. They got new
passports and members of his family started to emigrate from Austria. Back in Vienna, Freud was
still waiting his Unbedenklichkeitserklrung - a certificate of innocuousness.
Nazis were trying, in all kinds of ways, get the money from Jews, so they insisted on
collecting the taxes for fleeing from country. Freud had nothing, but Princess Marie Bonaparte
had, and she paid for what had to be paid. Then, before leaving, authorities demanded Freud's
signed statement affirming that he was not abused. While signing, he said sarcastically:
I can most highly recommend the Gestapo to everyone (Gay, 1988, 533).
Finally, on 4th of June, he entered on the train that took him into the freedom, in England,
as he had said: to die in freedom.
After the Rhine Bridge, Freud exclaimed, recalling the moment, we were free! (Gay,
1988, 534).

10 During my research, I came across different versions of his last name. In the book The death
of Sigmund Freud by Mark Edmundson, full name of Nazi who helped Freud is Anton
Sauevald. In the book A life for our time by Peter Gay, I didn't find that name (or similiar) at
all. In some articles on the Internet, the authors refer to it as Sauerwald.

LITERATURE
1. Edmundson, M. (2007) The Death of Sigmund Freud: Fascism, Psychoanalysis and
the Rise of Fundamentalism. London: Bloomsbury. (digital Kindle edition)
2. Gay, P. (1988) Freud: A life for Our Time. New York, London: W.W. Norton and
Company
Web pages:
1. http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10017.Sigmund_Freud
2. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud#Quotations
3. http://www.notcot.org/post/15224/Empty-white-bookshelves-placed-undergroundcommemorates/
4. http://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-features/26526/how-a-nazi-saved-sigmund-freud
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler

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