Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät - Lohia

Ram Manohar Lohia as a Doctoral Student in Berlin (1929-1933)


photo of Lohia after returning from Berlin 1934

Lohia had been educated in India before setting out to study abroad. After a brief stay in England he opted for Germany and came to Berlin in autumn 1929. The German capital offered a number of institutions for higher education attracting students from India in a growing number after World War One and the majority of foreign students in Germany at that time.

After attending the German language course run by the university affiliated German Institute for Foreigners from late October 1929 onwards, he was registered as a regular student on 5 May 1930 at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin (today’s Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).

Lohia studied national economy as his major subject under the professors Hermann Schumacher, Ludwig Bernhard and Werner Sombart. The oral examination for his doctorate was in national economy with the professors Schumacher and Bernhard, in philosophy with Max Dessoir and in history with Hermann Oncken.

Lohia submitted his dissertation in German on 24 January 1933 with the title Die Besteuerung des Salzes in Indien (Salt Taxation in India) which was evaluated by Schumacher and Bernhard. Lohia concluded his doctoral study successfully, but he failed to submit 150 copies of his dissertation in print as precondition for being awarded with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Lohia left in March 1933 for India. A copy of his dissertation could not be traced to date. Lohia belongs to the roughly 50 Indian students who received a doctorate in a range of disciplines from the Berlin university during the first half of the 20th century.