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Podcast Series: The New Germany with Katja Hoyer and Oliver Moody
“With the attack on Ukraine, we have entered a new era,” chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in February. Putin's war heralded a Zeitenwende, a historic turning point for Germany. But how and why has Germany changed since then – or why hasn’t it? With old certainties set ablaze by a new European war, are we witnessing the emergence of a new Germany?
In this special series, historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody set out to find some answers. Together with their expert guests, they will be looking into Germany's past and present to see what the future may 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.
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?
This four-part series will be broadcast in July and August 2022. The series is in English and is part of the History & Politics Podcasts. You can find all the History and Politics Podcasts episodes here.
1. Episode: Bundeswehr
How was it even politically possible that in 1955, a mere ten years after the collapse of the Third Reich, the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, was founded? Where can it draw traditions, legitimacy and legacies from? How has its relationship to politics and society changed? How does it need to change?
Guest: Rudolf Scharping, German politician and former German Federal Minister of Defence.
2. Episode: Russia
A potted history of Russia-German relations. What is the Germany-Russia dimension of the Ukraine conflict? And where do we go from here?
Guest: Sergey Radchenko, Historian
3. Episode: Energy
How has Germany's rapacious appetite for energy been satiated over time? What now? How can environmental concerns and security needs be met given the ever-increasing need for reliable energy?
Guest: Helen Thompson, Political Economist
4. Memory
How has Germany's fractured history affected its self-image as a nation? How and why are key moments remembered today? How has this changed over time?
About Katja Hoyer & Oliver Moody
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.
