Podcast Series: The New Germany with Katja Hoyer and Oliver Moody

What is the state of German democracy, and what does the Zeitenwende mean for Germany?

In this special series, historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody set out to find some answers. Together with expert guests, they look at Germany’s past and present to assess what the future might hold for Europe’s largest democracy. Controversial, unexpected and with a generous pinch of both German and British humour, this series goes where others don’t.

The hosts deal with the turbulent changes that have taken place in Germany and Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In 2024, Season 3 will focus on the questions: What is German democracy like? What has Germany learned from the crises of the past decades? What can Germany learn from other countries when dealing with foreign and domestic policy challenges?

The third season entails six new episodes and will start on 30 January 2024. The series is in English and part of the History & Politics podcast. All episodes of the History and Politics podcast are available here.

Season 3

What is the state of German democracy 100 years after the first crisis of the Weimar Republic? Is German democracy better able to deal with crises and problems today? What are the lessons learned under the different chancellors? How has Germany changed its foreign relations in the 21^st century, especially regarding global power structures? And how has German democracy dealt with extremism in society? These and other questions will be explored in Season 3.

Season 2

Watershed or treading water – has the Zeitenwende happened? How is Germany perceived on the international stage? Why is everyone talking about the need for a grand strategy? And how has the German political landscape changed since last year? These and other exciting questions will be discussed in season 2.

Season 1

How and why is Germany changing after the Zeitenwende – or why not? From the intimate sauna marathons of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Vladimir Putin to the setup of a new German army a mere ten years after the collapse of the Third Reich – what were the events that have brought Germany to this juncture and where is it headed now? We discuss these and other questions in Season 1.

About Katja Hoyer

Katja Hoyer is a German-British historian and journalist. She is a Visiting Research Fellow at King's College London, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a columnist for the Washington Post, and the author of the best-selling book "Blood and Iron. The Rise and Fall of the German Empire 1871-1914."

About Oliver Moody

Oliver Moody has been the Berlin correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times since 2018, covering Germany and northern, central and eastern Europe. He was named Fresh Young Voice of the Year and Science Commentator of the Year at the 2018 UK Comment Awards.