Tom Archibald - Mathematics in France, 1870-1890: A view via doctoral theses

The period immediately following the French defeat by Prussia in 1870-71 was one of profound transformation for French mathematics. This paper examines the influence of German mathematical work in France during this period, with particular attention to the evidence provided by the theses of the seventy-four mathematicians receiving a doctorate during this interval. Many of these writers remain very well-known to this day (such as Poincaré, Picard, and Painlevé) or were highly regarded at the time (Floquet, Halphen, Humbert, etc.); others, while more obscure, were of historical importance via their teaching and organizational activity. On the one hand, we find that the many theses associated with the research interests of Charles Hermite exercised a very strong influence on the subsequent direction of French mathematical research. On the other hand, these theses incorporate a rich body of German work from writers such as Weierstrass, Kronecker, Fuchs, Riemann, Clebsch, Schwarz, and Carl Neumann.