Okay im going to type up the definitive guide to Scientific Research and Society:
Social and political forces impact upon science in the following ways:
Governments demand the right to know what their research grants will be spent on.
Funding is usually provided by government of military bodies.
University funding has declined such that it has turned to industrial funding.
In the 1900's there were two schools of thought. Ernst Mach believed that scientific research should be set by human needs and put at the disposal of society, industry and state. They (mostly the chemists) were pro-war for Germany in WW1 and 2.
Max Planck however supported the growing trend towards indepedent university research. He sought for a 'pure' science removed from political affairs. Planck feared the consequences of science being an instrument to those in power.
When WWI broke out, Planck was very supportive of German efforts and signed the Manifesto of the '93 (93 intellectuals signed to support germany's war). Whereas, Einstein showed his pacifist views and signed with three others, the anti-war counter-manifesto.
Planck and Einstein were involved scientifically with each other for years, and although Einstein was a great humanitarian, he also endorsed Planck's view of the basic aim of science. Einstein however could not ignore the issues of social and cultural impacts in science.
In WW2, after Germany's humiliating defeat, Planck was once again for the war, due to his patriotism. The nazi's were anti-semetic, and denounced all non-german science and art, including Einstein's work as "Jewish-Communist physics". In 1933 Planck met Hitler and tried to convince him that the forced Jewish emigration was bad for Germany's scientific progress. During this time, Einstein left the country and never returned. Planck kept his presidential position at the Kaiser Wilhelm institute but resigned in 1937 in protest.
Plank's views on pure science was dominant in most of the 20th century until recent years where it has become much more involved with humanitarian and socio-political issues. This is why the HSC syllabus is pumping us with society and applications of physics continuously.
Well there you go, so before you go on about how much Planck and Einstein hated each other just to reinforce the "differing views", you should hear the full story and write your own answer.
