The `Academy of Nations` - an international network of Einstein opponents from the early 1920s

After the confirmation in 1919 of Einstein's prediction that a ray of light would be bent by the gravitational field of the sun, his theory of relativity received an unprecedented public reception. However, the "revolution in science" was not only celebrated, but also subjected to fierce criticism both inside and outside academia. Although contemporary scientists made it clear that the arguments on which most of this criticism was based relied on a fundamental misunderstanding of the theory of relativity, the opposition to relativity did not decline, but rather increased in vehemence. Why were Einstein's opponents so resistant to well-meant explanations of their misunderstanding? What provoked their increasingly vigorous attacks on the theory of relativity? My talk will address these questions by focusing on the intentions behind the institutionalization in the 1920s of a hitherto unknown international network of opponents of the theory of relativity - the "Academy of Nations" - which encompassed both academic scientists and scientific laymen. Drawing on new source material, I will argue that this highly heterogeneous circle did not come together, as one might presume, because of some political motivation. Rather, its formation was a reaction to the overwhelming threat--which the theory of relativity was perceived to be--to the respective world-views of Einstein's opponents.