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Summary

Abstract:
The bulk of the collection consists of Bendix' writings and the materials used by him for research purposes as well as for his courses in political and social sciences. This includes a large volume of materials on Max Weber, social stratification, power and authority, bureaucracy, industrialization and large-scale organizations. Bendix' files contain correspondence dealing with his career at the University of California, Berkeley and include materials pertaining to controversies at the university and within the Department of Sociology, as well as student issues and recommendations. Also present in the collection are a number of files dealing with individuals and issues connected with both the American Sociological Association and the International Sociological Association.
Extent:
13.67 cubic ft.
Language:
English , German .
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Reinhard Bendix Papers, 1929-1998. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Bendix Papers).

Background

Scope and Content:

The Reinhard Bendix Papers, 1929-1998, consist of 13.67 cu. ft. of materials and are divided into seven series: 1) Autobiographical and biographical materials, 1929-1998; 2) Correspondence files, 1948-1987; 3) Published and unpublished writings of Reinhard Bendix, 1930-1986; 4) Course and lecture notes, 1943-1986; 5) Published and unpublished writings by others; 6) Miscellaneous materials, notes; and 7) Pamphlet collection.

The bulk of the collection consists of Bendix' writings and the materials used by him for research purposes as well as for his courses in political and social sciences. This includes a large volume of materials on Max Weber, social stratification, power and authority, bureaucracy, industrialization and large-scale organizations.

Bendix' files contain correspondence dealing with his career at the University of California, Berkeley and include materials pertaining to controversies at the university and within the Department of Sociology, as well as student issues and recommendations. Also present in the collection are a number of files dealing with individuals and issues connected with both the American Sociological Association and the International Sociological Association.

Biographical / Historical:

Reinhard Bendix was born in Berlin, Germany in 1916 and received his formal education at the Gymnasium in Berlin from 1927-1933. After graduation, Bendix spent a year in England where he attended school and worked on a farm in Welwyn Garden City, in the vicinity of London. Upon his return to Germany in 1935, he found employment as a clerk in the export firm of L. Hecht & Co. and later (1937) in the Palaestina Treuhandstelle in Paltreu, Berlin. It was also during these same years that Reinhard became a member of both HaShomer HaZair and the anti-Fascist underground organization Neu Beginnen. In 1938, he was forced to flee Hitler-Germany and immigrated to the U.S.

With the help of family friends, Bendix immigrated to the United States in September of 1938 and immediately enrolled in undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. During the years from 1938 to 1946, he attended the University of Chicago on full scholarship, receiving his B.A. in 1941, his M.A. in 1943, and his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1946, studying under Professor Charles Merriam. During this time, he also met and married Jane Walstrum (1940).

After completing his studies, Reinhard Bendix spent one year at the University of Colorado in Boulder, but relocated to California and the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. He became a member of the Faculty of the Department of Sociology, and later the Department of Political Science, and remained at Berkeley until his retirement. Bendix's main research interests centered around the areas of comparative social stratification, political and industrial sociology, and the history of social theory. He was also instrumental in introducing and popularizing the works of Max Weber among American social scientists. His works include Class, Status and Power (with S.M. Lipset, 1953; 1966), Work and Authority in Industry (1956; 1974), Social Mobility in Industry (also with S.M. Lipset, 1959); Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait (1960), Nation Building and Citizenship (1964; 1976), Kings or People: Power and the Mandate to Rule (1978), and From Berlin to Berkeley: German Jewish Identities (1986 autobiography), as well as over sixty contributions to professional journals.

Chronology of Events : Date Event 1916
Born on February 25 in Berlin to Ludwig (1877-1954) and Else Henschel Bendix (1883-1968).
1927-1933
Attended the Gymnasium in Berlin.
1934
Attended school in the United Kingdom and worked on a farm outside of London (Welwyn Garden City).
1935-1937
Clerk in the Berlin export firm, L. Hecht & Co. Member of the group Neu Beginnen and HaShomer HaZair.
1937-1938
Clerk at the Palaestina Treuhandstelle in Paltreu, Berlin.
1938
Emigrated to the U.S. in September.
1938-1946
Attended the University of Chicago with full scholarships.
1940
Married Jane Walstrum on July 5.
1941
Received a B.A. from the University of Chicago.
1941-1943
Research Assistant of the Social Science Research Committee of the University of Chicago.
1943
Became an American citizen.
1943
Received M.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
1943-1946
Instructor of Social Science at the University of Chicago.
1946-1947
Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
1947
Received Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
1947-1951
Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley.
1948-1950
Member of the Editorial Committee, University of California Press.
1948-1972
Resident Sociologist at Berkeley's Institute of Industrial Relations.
1949
Birth of daughter, Karen.
1949
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Columbia University (Summer session).
1951
Birth of son, Erik.
1951-1956
Associate Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley.
1951-1952
Sociologist, Student Health Service, Cowell Hospital, University of California (psychiatric consultation).
1952-1953
Vice President, Alameda County Mental Health Society.
1953-1954
Fulbright Research Grant, University of Frankfurt, Germany.
1956
Birth of son, John.
1956-1972
Promoted to rank of Full Professor of Sociology, Berkeley.
1958
Winner of the MacIver Award (American Sociological Association) for his book Work and Authority in Industry.
1958-1961
Chairman of the Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley.
1961-1962
Received "Reflective Year Fellowship" from Carnegie Corporation for studies in India and Japan.
1963-1964
Vice President of the American Sociological Association.
1964-1965
Visiting Professor of Sociology at the Freie Universität, Berlin and Visiting Fellow at St. Catherine College, Oxford.
1966-1970
Elected Vice President of the International Sociological Association, as well as Corresponding Member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie.
1968-1970
Director of University of California Study Center in Göttingen, Germany.
1969-1970
President of the American Sociological Association.
1971
Fellow of the Nuffield College, Oxford.
1971-1972
Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
1971-1974
Permanent Guest Professor of the University of Konstanz, Germany.
1972-1989
Professor of Political Science and Lecturer in the Department of Sociology.
1975-1976
Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars, Washington, D.C. and Guggenheim Fellowship.
1977
Elected to the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.
1978
Received honorary doctorate from the University of Leeds, England.
1980
Received honorary doctorate from the University of Mannheim, Germany.
1981
Max Weber Guest Professor at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
1982-1989
Numerous lectures given throughout the U.S. and Europe.
1991
Died of a heart attack on February 28 in Berkeley, California.
Acquisition information:
All items in this manuscript group were donated to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, by Reinhard Bendix in 1989 and 1990; additions to the collection were made by John Bendix in 1998 and 2014.
Processing information:

Processed in 2006 by Sandra H. Hawrylchak, March 30, 2006.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized as follows:

  1. Series 1: Autobiographical and Biographical Materials, 1929-1998
  2. Series 2: Correspondence Files, 1948-1987
  3. Series 3: Published and Unpublished Writings of Reinhard Bendix, 1930-1991
  4. Series 4: Course and Lecture Notes, 1943-1986
  5. Series 5: Published and Unpublished Writings by Others
  6. Series 6: Miscellaneous Materials, Notes
  7. Series 7: Pamphlet Collection
Physical location:
The materials are located onsite in the department.

Contents

Access

Using These Materials

ACCESS:
The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
RESTRICTIONS:

Access to this record group is unrestricted with the exception of a small number of correspondence files.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

PREFERRED CITATION:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, Reinhard Bendix Papers, 1929-1998. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Bendix Papers).

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