Mathwar/Personlist/Levi-Civita Tullio
Tullio Levi-Civita
(* March 29th 1873 in Padua Italy, † December 29th 1941 in Rome)
Italian mathematician, most famous for his work on absolute differential calculus (tensor calculus) and its applications to the theory of relativity but who also made significant contributions in other areas.
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Life
After World War I ended, the University of Rome made strenuous efforts to strengthen both its teaching and research and many leading scientists were attracted there. Levi-Civita was always very international in his outlook and the ability of Rome to attract top quality students from abroad must have figured in his reasons to now want to make the move there. In 1918 he was appointed to the Chair of Higher Analysis at Rome, and two years later he was appointed to the Chair of Mechanics there.
The years following World War I were difficult for scientists who wanted to collaborate with those in all countries on an equal footing. The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, drew up Fourteen Points on 8 January 1917 on which to end World War I. These had not been agreed by the allies. On 4 October 1918 the German government approached Wilson, looking to start peace negotiations and Wilson presented them with the Fourteen Points. After nearly three weeks of negotiations, without the other allies being involved, Germany accepted the Fourteen Points on 23 October. The British and French were certainly unhappy with some of the Fourteen Points and a difficult period followed. In the middle of all of this, Wilson proposed another idea to Britain and France, namely that a structure should be put in place to re-establish international cooperation in science. His proposal was for an International Research Council which would be organised round International Unions for each of the various scientific subjects. These International Unions would operate through National Committees in the countries of the eleven Allied Powers, with these National Committees each supported by its National Academy of Science and National Research Council. The International Unions would have the power to invite neutral countries to join, but not those countries against whom the Allied Powers had fought. Wilson's proposal was accepted and in 1919 the International Research Council was founded. Germany, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria could not be members under the terms of the International Research Council.
It was not just the international situation which gave Levi-Civita problems but also the effect of totalitarianism and anti-Semitism on scientific and university life. He found the national situation in Italy with the rise of Fascism increasingly difficult. In 1931 all Italian professors were required to sign an oath to Fascism. Volterra refused to take the oath and was dismissed. Although he was deeply opposed to such ideas, Levi-Civita felt that for the sake of his family and his research school in Rome he had to sign despite his strong moral objections. He lectured in the United States in 1933 and in Moscow and Kiev in 1935. In 1936 he returned to the United States, lecturing at Harvard, Princeton and the Rice Institute. While in Houston he gave an interview which was seen as critical of Italy and the Italian consul asked for clarification. He was recalled to Italy but because of his leading international status the Italian government felt that it should not react too strongly. Later in 1936 the International Mathematical Congress was held in Oslo but Levi-Civita, and all other Italian mathematicians, were forbidden to attend by their government. Despite this Levi-Civita was appointed as a member of the Commission for awarding Fields Medals.
On 5 September 1938 the Racial Laws were passed which excluded all those of Jewish background from universities, schools, academies and other institutions. Levi-Civita was dismissed from his professorship, forced to leave the editorial board of Zentralblatt für Mathematik.