Prof. Walter Markov - Persecuted, Scholar

Leipzig University regarded Prof. Walter Markov as one of the driving forces of the postwar years. Before his arrival in Leipzig, his path was shaped by the brilliant work of a young intellectual at the University of Bonn - and by his antifascist activism, which cost him 12 years in prison.

After the war, he attempted to introduce new ideas and political movements at his former institution. This failed, and so Walter Markov moved to Leipzig. By then he had completed his habilitation at the University of Halle-Wittenberg and took over the chair of general history of the modern era. In Leipzig too, conflicts with superiors arose, ultimately leading to his expulsion from the SED.

Markov remained a scholar. His work gained great recognition at home and abroad and was honored with numerous awards. In 1974, Prof. Markov retired - without abandoning his political convictions.