One can only imagine the silent gasp many made when hearing the speech of Ben Carson, US secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in March 2017. Mentioning the history of slavery and slave trade in and to America, he said: “That’s what America is about, the lands of dreams and opportunities. There were other immigrants … Continue reading
In the Nazi Reich’s last days, in early April 1945, a group of German officers met in Bad Elster in Saxony. Among them were Generalmajor Reinhard Gehlen, still acting but discharged chief of the Wehrmacht branch “Foreign Armies East”, Lieutenant Colonel Gerhard Wessel, his successor, Lieutenant Colonel Hermann Baun, chief of the Army intelligence on … Continue reading
The New Year’s Eve attacks on women in Cologne not only broke loose a discussion about harassment and sexual abuse in Germany but also a new wave of racism and deep-rooted fear. Many especially right-wing politicians and commentators were head over heels, asking for harsher rules on immigration and faster deportation. While doing so they … Continue reading
What did it take 76 years ago to drive a continent into despair and destruction? Tanks, guns and fascism. What does it take to drive a country into despair in 2015? A rhombus – Angela Merkel’s signature gesture –, a man in a wheelchair and financial fascism otherwise known as neoliberalism. July 13th 2015 could … Continue reading
Title picture: Civilian members, officers and a foreigner (called Sonderführer) of a Hamburg radio station. Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0154 / CC-BY-SA I had the idea for this essay during the conference „Geheimdienste: Netzwerke, Seilschaften und Patronage in nachrichtendienstlichen Institutionen“ in September 2014 in Erfurt. One of the moderators, Gerhard Sälter, a member of the … Continue reading
The (ab)use of animals was and still is by all means quite common in military history. But German historiography only slowly comes to terms with this topic. Therefore it was rather unexpected that the Museum of Military History in Dresden – opening its doors in 2011 – as a department of the German Bundeswehr exhibits … Continue reading
On 16th August Al-Ahram reported the looting of the Archaeological Museum in Mallawi (about 300 km south of Cairo) two days before. Nearly everything was robbed, only some items were left behind and only because they were to bulky to carry them away. This robbery leaves a great gap in the Egyptian history since many … Continue reading
„I did not want to leave the way my family were forced to do in December 1971. At the time I wanted to plant my one foot on Devil’s Peak and the other on the Table Mountain and shout, ‚Let us stay, don’t force us to go. You are destroying our families and our lives!’ … Continue reading
„Hannelore“ that was a woman. I can tell you: „someone entrusted me that she has a groom and a bride“. „Hannelore“ is one of the most famous songs of Berlin Cabaret star Claire Waldorff who was an open lesbian and one of the most successful cabaret singers in the early 1900s. Even though the song … Continue reading
Recently I came across a book that deals with the generation of East Germans born between 1975 and 1982. The author, Sabine Rennefanz, an East German herself, argues that those born between the mentioned years are so called Eisenkinder (“Iron Children”) which also is the title of her book. The book retells the story of … Continue reading
When discussing the foundation of the German Bundesrepublik in school my teachers always spoke about “the fathers of the constitution”, those men who after World War II laid the foundation for a democratic state. Only quite late I detected that this was a wrong concept. Truth be told: There had not been many women involved … Continue reading
Within the next days the conclave, the election of the 266th pope will begin. 115 cardinals are allowed the choose the next Holy Father from their midst. In normal cases, that means after the death of a pope, there have to be at least fifteen days between the start of the Sede Vacante (The empty … Continue reading
As an atheist and being raised in the former German Democratic Republic, where the leaders followed Marx’ opinion “Religion is the opium of the people”, my relation to the Holy Father is non-existant. But as a mediaevalist it is an entirely different matter. I am fascinated by this institution, still alive after over 2.000 years, … Continue reading
There once was a king, feared and loved at the same time. His kingdom was torn from the inside, divided even under his oppressive rule but larger than any kingdom his forefathers had called their own. He reigned for many a year, fighting wars in the foreign lands of the south, struggling with cousins, foe … Continue reading
Everybody who has ever seen the Pergamon Altar or the Parthenon cannot deny the fascination such monumental heritage creates. Clear lines carved in beautiful marble, sparkling slightly in the light, expressive sculptures looking endlessly noble and magnificent. In the 19th century the adoration for ancient sculptures reached its first climax, classicism was born and around significant … Continue reading
I know I can become quite obsessed with things: films, series, actors, books… It is something my friends and family have to endure – me talking about nothing else but a series I have just watched and started to watch again and again. But how enchanting it is to recognize sometimes that I am not … Continue reading
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