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Project

The Cooperation of German and Ukrainian Scientists in Agricultural Research (from the Nineteenth to Mid-Twentieth Century)

Agrarian research aims to find effective ways of development in agriculture and is a strategically important branch of both the German and Ukrainian economies. Our project was a comprehensive analysis of the relationship and mutual influences between German and Ukrainian scientists in the field of agrarian research at different stages of historical development from the nineteenth to mid-twentieth century. We also wished to determine the influence of historical processes of this period based on the degree of cooperation between scientists, research topics, and forms of interaction.

We argued that Ukrainian agrarian science at its initial stage developed under considerable influence of German scientific thought with partial support of German capital. The global humanist crises (revolution, war) and totalitarian regimes that our nations endured influenced the relationship between the specialists to a considerable degree. However, cooperation between Ukrainian and German agricultural scientists continued to develop regardless of the political situation and changes of power in the respective countries. We also examined how conferences, congresses, scientific internships, and joint research projects fostered strong relationships in the academic community. Special attention was paid to the participation of commodity producers in the establishment of cooperation between Ukrainian and German scientists, which was typical in the nineteenth century.