The politics of interwar chemistry Neutrality and nationalism in the rhetoric and actions of internationalist chemists

The First World War challenged internationalist ideals in chemistry, as nations mobilized researchers for military purposes. In different ways, chemists from various nations reconstructed international networks in the interwar period. A transnational comparison shows that German (Fritz Haber) and British (Frederick Donnan) chemistry coordinated their international efforts easily with state and industry, as the relations had intensified during the war. Chemists from Sweden (Svante Arrhenius) and the Netherlands (Ernst Cohen) turned to the cultural and epistemic meaning of neutrality to justify their internationalism at home and abroad. The comparative analysis emphasizes national histories in understanding the politics of international science.