Volker Berghahn

Volker Berghahn is the Seth Low Professor of History at Columbia University, where he has been since 1998. Previously, he held the John P. Birkelund Professorship at Brown University (1988–1998) and taught at the Universities of East Anglia and Warwick (1975–1988). He earned an M.A. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1961), a Ph.D. from the University of London (1964), and a Habilitation from Mannheim University (1970).

• Education:
• Habilitation: University of Mannheim, 1970
• Ph.D.: University of London, 1964
• M.A.: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1961

His research focuses on modern German history, European-American relations, and Cold War dynamics. Key works include The Americanization of West German Industry (1986) and America and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe (2001). He explores themes such as trans-Atlantic economic ties, cultural transfer, and modernization theory.

His awards include the Order of Merit (First Class) from Germany, Royal Historical Society Fellowship, and the Helmut-Schmidt Prize. He has advised on multiple scholarly projects and contributed to edited volumes on capitalism, historiography, and political agency.

Berghahn’s current research examines Cold War-era social scientists and American perceptions of German industry. He is affiliated with Columbia’s Department of History and has held honorary roles at institutions like the University of Warwick and Berlin’s Wissenschaftszentrum.