István Deák Papers, 1960-1995

Summary Information

Abstract

The István Deák papers document the scholarly activities of István Deák, a professor of History at Columbia University from 1964-1997 and director of the Harriman Institute on East Central Europe from 1968 to 1979.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in five series.

• Series I: Scholarly Writing, 1963-1996
• Subseries I.1: Articles and Essays, 1967-1996
• Subseries I.2. Correspondence, 1982-1991
• Subseries I.3. Projects, 1986-1994
• Subseries I.4. Book Reviews and Manuscripts Read for Publishers, 1966-1996
• Subseries I.5. PhD Dissertation, 1963-1969
• Series II. Teaching and Administrative Activities, 1964-1986
• Subseries II.1. Student Papers and Class Lectures, undated
• Subseries II.2. Notes, 1971-1986
• Subseries II.3.Booklists, Sources, Syllabi, 1964-1967
• Series III. Conferences and Lectures, 1969-1994
• Series IV. Habsburg Army Research Notes, undated
• Subseries IV.1. Data Sheets and Calculations, undated
• Subseries IV.2. Research Notes, undated
• Series V. Weimer Germany's Left Wing Intellectuals, A Political History of the Weltbühne and its Cause, 1930-1970
• Subseries V.1. Research Notes, 1962-1968
• Subseries V.2. Die Weltbühne, 1930
• Subseries V.3. Administrative Files, 1963-1970

Description

Summary

The István Deák Papers document his professional life, with a particular focus on his work during the 1980s and 1990s. The majority of the papers are comprised of articles, essays, conference programs and lectures. There are also two large groups of research notes, one set of research contributing to his PhD dissertation on intellectuals in the Weimar Republic, the other a large collection of data sheets related to Hungarian soldiers in the Habsburg Army. The collection is intellectually arranged by series, including scholarly writing, teaching and administrative activities, conferences and lectures, and research notes in two sections. However, the collection retains its original physical order reflecting Deák's arrangement of the files. Many of the original folders with Deák's extensive notes have also been retained and kept with the files they originally held.

• Series I: Scholarly Writing, 1963-1996

  This series contains documents related to Deak's published and unpublished scholarly writing. It documents his professional life, particularly the relationships he had in the intellectual community, and his professional status in the study of the history of central Europe as a contributor and editor.

• Series II. Teaching and Administrative Activities, 1964-1986

  Deak was an active teacher, teaching classes on the history of central and east central Europe. This series contains lecture notes, student papers, and various other notes related to his scholarly and teaching activities.

• Series III. Conferences and Lectures, 1969-1994

  This series makes up the bulk of the papers. Deak kept extensive notes on all of the lectures that he gave across the country, and many detailed records about his activities at conferences. This series includes lecture notes, programs from various conferences, invitations to attend, correspondence regarding lectures and attendance, administrative files, and itineraries related to conference attendance.

• Series IV. Habsburg Army Research Notes, undated

  The research notes in this collection contain detailed information on over 1000 soldiers in the Habsburg Army, as well a numerous notes on the materials written in Hungarian. In the course of his research, Deak created a number of calculations and written documents analyzing the data. In 1990, Deak published Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer Corps.

• Series V. Weimer Germany's Left Wing Intellectuals, A Political History of the Weltbühne and its Cause, 1930-1970

  In 1969, Deak published his first book, Weimer Germany's Left Wing Intellectuals, A Political History of the Weltbühne and its Causes. The book was based on his dissertation, and this series contains the administrative files, research files, copies of the original documents used in his research as well as microfilm and correspondence.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.

Series II, Box 13, Folders 10 and 11 and Box 17 folder 9 contain student papers and are restricted until 2035.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); István Deák Papers; Box and Folder (if known); Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accrual

No additional materialexpected

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--István Deák. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--07/13/1999.

2008.2009.M012: Source of acquisition--István Deák. Method of acquisition--Gift; Date of acquisition--12/28/2008.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Alison Lotto, New York University and the Palmer School, 2013 04/01/2011.

Finding aid written Alison Lotto, New York University and the Palmer School, 2013 04/15/2011.

Revision Description

2011-06-02 XML document instance created by Alison Lotto

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical Note

István Deák, the Seth Low Professor Emeritus of History, was born in Hungary in 1926, and in 1948 emigrated to France and studied history at the Sorbonne. From 1948 to 1956, he worked in France and Germany as a journalist and librarian and moved to New York in 1956, to pursue his Ph.D. at Columbia University. He received it in 1964, with a dissertation entitled "Weimar Germany's 'Homeless Left': The World of Carl Von Ossietzky." Deák taught at Columbia from 1964 until his retirement in 1997, with some brief appointments at other universities. He was also the director of the Institute on East Central Europe from 1968 to 1979. After his retirement, Deák continued to teach at Columbia as a lecturer and worked at Stanford in 2002.

Professor Deák's research concentrates on 20th century central and east central Europe. He has published a number of works, including Weimar Germany's Left-wing Intellectuals: A Political History of the "Weltbuhne" and Its Circle (The University of California Press, 1968); The Lawful Revolution: Louis Kossuth and the Hungarians, 1848-1849 (Columbia University Press, 1979), Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer Corps, 1848-1918 (Oxford University Press, 1990), Essays on Hitler's Europe (University of Nebraska Press, 2001), and edited The Politics of Retribution in Europe: World War II and Its Aftermath (Princeton University Press, 2000). Deak has received a number of prizes for his work including the Lionel Trilling Book Award, the Way S. Vucinich Book Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, the John S. Guggenheim Fellowship, and he was a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna Austria.