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Podcast: New Books in German Studies
Episode: Sean Forner, âGerman Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democratic Renewal: Culture and Politics after 1945â (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
Description: The Federal Republic of Germany is often held up today as one of the worldâs great democracies, where the commitment to such ideals as transparency, careful deliberation, social and political equality, a vibrant public sphere, and perhaps most importantâpolitical participationâdefines the countryâs self-image.
It was not ever so. In 1945, Germany lay in ruins, literally, not to mention ethically and existentially. And much of its population, in that moment, given the chance, would very likely have chosen to return the Nazis to power.
Sean Forner is Associate Professor of History at Michigan State Un...