For Hannah Arendt, smoking and thinking belonged together

A philosopher, writer and professor of political theory: Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) became renowned in the US and worldwide for her works examining revolutions and totalitarian systems, as well as the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, in which she radically questioned traditions and ideologies.

The exhibition "Hannah Arendt and the 20th Century" at Berlin's Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM) also displays some of her personal belongings. Arendt wouldn't go anywhere without this silver cigarette case. "Like a briefcase, it was a work tool for her," explains exhibition curator Monika Boll. "Smoking was part of her process of getting her thoughts organized."

Hannah Arendt was born on October 14, 1906 in Hanover to politically progressive parents and it was clear that she would pursue university studies. She first studied philosophy, Greek and theology at the University of Marburg under philosopher Martin Heidegger. She had a brief affair with her much older professor. She obtained her PhD from the University of Heidelberg in 1929.

After Hitler came to power in 1933, Hannah Arendt had to leave the country as a Jew. Initially, she worked in Paris for an organization that brought Jewish orphans to Palestine. But in 1940, she fled to the United States when Germany invaded France. In New York, the first point of contact for many emigrants from Europe, she quickly found work as a journalist.

Hannah Arendt was 38 years old in this photo from 1944, taken by renowned photographer Fred Stein. A series of photos from the Fred Stein Archive in Stanfordville, New York were loaned to the Berlin museum for the exhibition. At the time, Arendt was leading a research project for the Conference on Jewish Relations.

Arendt lived as a stateless person in the United States for a long time until she was finally naturalized on December 10, 1951. Emigration from Nazi Germany, the insecurity of exile and her lack of rights as a Jewish migrant in the US were very formative experiences for her. All of this shaped her strong political views, which guided her throughout her life.

In 1961, the magazine "The New Yorker" commissioned Arendt to cover the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, held in Jerusalem. Eichmann was one of the main organizers of the deportation and extermination of the Jews during the Holocaust. Arendt's account on "the banality of evil" caused a storm of indignation.

She was a professor at different universities, including at the University of Chicago from 1963 to 1967, and at the New School for Social Research in New York, where she taught until her death in 1975. Universities were her intellectual home; she was even able to develop her political and philosophical theories in an empty cafeteria, as this photo from 1961-62 shows.

The controversial philosopher did not avoid intellectual disputes. As a thinker and reporter, Hannah Arendt's ideas often led to controversy in her adopted country and in Europe. "Taking a stand was very risky at the time, and she was well aware of that," says curator Monika Boll.

As a well-known reporter and university professor, Hannah Arendt was also part of the US establishment. She was reluctant to pursue social obligations, but she did have a mink cape at hand for official events such as gala dinners or receptions. The fur coat comes from the private collection of her great-niece, Edna Brocke, who donated different items from Arendt's estate to the DHM.

In addition to private photos, personal letters, manuscripts and books, her legendary Minox can also be seen in Berlin. She often used the tiny camera for her work as a reporter and to photograph her friends. The exhibition provides insight into the life and work of the German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt, who died in New York 45 years ago.