Körber History Forum
Photo: Patricia Morosan
In an age of growing political, national and religious divisions, historical orientation and reckoning with our past are central to dealing with current conflicts. The Körber History Forum focuses on the impact of the past on the politics of the present at a European and global level. Through online and in-person activities, we bring experts and practitioners together, sharing knowledge and enabling dialogue.
The Russian war against Ukraine is also a war against the European and global security order. The misuse of history plays an important role in Russia´s war strategy that aims at destroying Ukraine as an independent country.
How do politics of history and the return to geopolitics and expansionism go together? How can we respond to the geopolitical shifts on the European continent? And how should historians productively use their knowledge in an era of confrontation and digital disinformation?
This History Hotspot e-Paper brings together a selection of contributions by internationally renowned experts from the realms of history, political science and diplomacy. And explores the potential of historical thinking for a better understanding of current conflicts.
E-Paper: A New Global Order? History and Power Politics
Russia's war against Ukraine marks a “Zeitenwende” for Western security order. Can historical thinking help to analyze and solve current problems more clearly?
The e-paper “European Security: How Policy-Relevant is History?” demonstrates how and where history can help us to better respond to the uncertainties of the present and how future political action can be shaped in a more historically informed way.
Five authors from Germany, France, Poland, Russia, and the United States explain what role different historical experiences play in dealing with current challenges in European security policy. How can historical thinking contribute to a better understanding and handling of the present?
E-Paper European Security: How Policy-Relevant is History?
History & Politics Podcast (German)
In part one of our four-part series The New Germany, historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody discuss Germany’s relationship to its military past and how the Bundeswehr needs to change.
Guest: Rudolf Scharping, German politician and former German Federal Minister of Defence
Part 2 of our four-part series The New Germany with historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody. They are going to explore Germany’s long relationship with Russia. And they look for answers: What is the Germany-Russia dimension of the Ukraine conflict? And where do we go from here?
Guest: Sergey Radchenko, Historian, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC
Part 3 of our four-part series The New Germany with historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody. They are going to talk about German energy policy and, above all, Russian gas. 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, University of Cambridge
Part 4 of our four-part series The New Germany with historian Katja Hoyer and journalist Oliver Moody. They are going to talk about Germany’s memory.
What exactly defines the era Germany is supposed to come out of with the Russian war against Ukraine? 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?
Why is Vladmir Putin using history as a tool for geopolitical expansion – and why does he rewrite history? The past in the context of the Tsarist Empire as well as the Soviet Union play an important role in Russia´s foreign and domestic politics. Which vision of the future is connected to these references to distant or less distant pasts? And what is the role of diversity in all this?
We have discussed these issues with historian Alexander Semyonov.
Listen to all episodes of the History & Politics Podcast (German)
Contact
Gabriele Woidelko
Alma Gretenkord
Körber History Forum
Florian Bigge
Körber History Forum
