Episodi
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EU electoral politics expert Ciarán of Corner Späti joins to discuss the results from last weekend's European Parliament vote. From the big political shifts to the Continent's most obscure parties, Ciarán and Ted break it down and speculate about what the next five years could hold.
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick.
Support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
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Continuing our series on German diaspora communities, in this episode we move away from the national-level stories to zoom in to one particular place: the "Queen City" of Cincinnati, Ohio. To help us, Ted and Michelle (!) are joined by a native son of the city: Chris Wade of Chapo Trap House. We talk history, beer, baseball, and what the resurgence of interest in German heritage means for culture and politics more broadly
-Follow Chris on Twitter here, check out his personal webpage here and listen to And introducing, here
-Listen to Hell of Presidents here and Hell on Earth here (both featuring past guest Matt Christman)
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick.
Support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
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Episodi mancanti?
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With a month to go until the European Parliament elections—and the right's vote share expected to surge—what is the state of conservatism in the EU? To find out, Ted speaks with returning guest Hans Kundnani (@hanskundnani), a fellow at NYU's Remarque Institute and Chatham House. They discuss his recent book Eurowhiteness as well as several recent articles on Germany's relationship with the rest of the world and what it means for Europe.
-Buy the book here: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/eurowhiteness/
-Read the Dissent Piece on Germany-Israel here: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/zionism-uber-alles/
-Read his article on the "Berlin Blob" here: https://theideasletter.substack.com/p/the-berlin-blob
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Edited by Nick. Support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
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In honor of International Worker's Day, this episode features Autumn Chen, designer of the online game "Social Democracy: an Alternate History" to discuss how the late Weimar period could have gone differently--perhaps ending in an SPD or even KPD-led government. She and Ted explore this period through the lens of the game and also talk about the role of computer games in history education more broadly.
Thanks to all the Patreon patrons for making this May Day special episode possible. Stay safe out there and happy May Day!
Follow Autumn's game site here: https://red-autumn.itch.io/
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Support us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse.
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Boeing's myriad crises are well known, but what explains the success of its (relatively) new European rival, Airbus? To find out, Ted speaks with aviation analyst Scott Hamilton about the history of the firm, Germany's role in it, and what has allowed Airbus to overtake Boeing. They also discuss the different approaches toward the aircraft manufacturing business on both sides of the Atlantic and ask what it says about their respective economies. Finally, they explore the future of "sustainable" aviation and the rise of Chinese competition.
Buy Scott's book here: https://www.12spublications.com/
Check out Leeham News and Analysis here: https://leehamnews.com/
Read about Strauß and aviation here: https://aviationtrivia.blogspot.com/2015/05/franz-josef-strauss-bavarian-politician.html
Read Airbus on it's own history: https://www.airbus.com/en/who-we-are/our-history/commercial-aircraft-history/trouble-and-strife-1968-1969
FT on the rise of COMAC: https://www.ft.com/content/19319a2f-b913-4711-a94b-7915248ee67a
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider. Support us on Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
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The economic news from Germany is bad. But is the reality as dire as it's portrayed? To find out if Germany is really the "sick man of Europe" again, Ted speaks with Professor Sebastian Dullien of the Hans Böckler Foundation's Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK). They discuss the problems Germany faces and what it needs to do to escape them.
For background, listen to Episode 1 on Hartz IV here and Episode 8 on the Schuldenbremse here.
Prof. Dullien's podcast is here: https://www.boeckler.de/de/podcasts-22421.htm
And the Adam Tooze piece Ted referenced at the end is here: https://adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-71-the-inflation-debate
*****
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Acknowledging and atoning for the crimes of the Third Reich is now an essential part of Germany's national identity. This process is comparatively straightforward for ethnic Germans, whose family members may have been complicit during the Nazi era. But where does this "emotional social contract" leave post-WWII immigrants to Germany, particularly those of Muslim backgrounds?
To explore these tensions, Ted speaks with Esra Özyürek, professor at Cambridge University, about her recent book Subcontractors of Guilt: Holocaust Memory and Muslim Belonging in Postwar Germany. They discuss the ways in which Muslim-Germans navigate the complex politics of victimhood and perpetration, often in ways that contradict official narratives.
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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What explains Germany's steadfast support for Israel? Even as Israel's response to the October 7th Hamas attacks has drawn increasing international condemnation, Germany has doubled down on support, proclaiming that Israel's security is its Staatsräson and cracking down on speech deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel.
To answer this question from a historical perspective, Ted speaks with Daniel Marwecki, a lecturer at Hong Kong University, about his book Germany and Israel: Whitewashing and Statebuilding. He argues that German support for Israel did not always stem from guilt and the need to atone for historical crimes, but instead from clear-eyed Realpolitik. A German version of the book comes out in early 2024.
-Susan Neiman in the NYRB on Germany, memory culture, and Israel https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/10/19/historical-reckoning-gone-haywire-germany-susan-neiman/
-Read Daniel's piece in Le Monde Diplomatique here: https://mondediplo.com/2020/05germany-israel\
-Haaretz on German-Israeli history: https://www.haaretz.com/2015-05-12/ty-article/.premium/the-complicated-israel-germany-love-affair/0000017f-dbbe-d3a5-af7f-fbbe05ad0000?v=1699498553307
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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German media and politicians say that the country is experiencing another "migration crisis." But has it ever not been?
To explore the history of migration politics in the BRD, Ted speaks with Lauren Stokes (@laurenstokes), a historian at Northwestern University, about her book Fear of the Family (2022) and article "The Permanent Refugee Crisis in the Federal Republic of Germany" (2019). They discuss the recurring arguments and contradictory policy responses that surround the German migration debate.
-Buy the book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/fear-of-the-family-9780197558416?cc=gb&lang=en&
-Read the article here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/central-european-history/article/permanent-refugee-crisis-in-the-federal-republic-of-germany-1949/137BEF2AD9044E733AC147E86C62F638
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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What is the NATO alliance really for? Grey Anderson's recent book Natopolitanism offers some hints, and the answer is (shockingly) not always what proponents of the Alliance say it is.
On this episode, we speak with Grey—an editor and historian based in New York—about the book, the history of NATO, and what the future of the transatlantic relationship might look like.
Buy his book here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/3093-natopolitanism
Read his NLR piece here: https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii140/articles/grey-anderson-weapon-of-power-matrix-of-management
Read his NYT piece here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/opinion/nato-summit-vilnius-europe.html
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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During a demoralizing year for Twitter, there's been one notable bright spot: the relentless and inspired posting of Austrian economist Gunther Fehlinger (@GunterFehlinger). With political opinions (and matching selfies) ranging from #exRussia and #exChina to the need for Austria to join NATO, Gunther has risen quickly to become one of the world's most legendary commentators on geopolitics (my favorite "NATO is our sunscreen" Tweet is here).
To further explore Fehlinger Thought, we speak with Gunther about how he transformed from a free market economist to one of the most passionate advocates for the expansion of the US-led world order, even daring to cheer on the dissolution of many major world powers. We also chat Balkan food and how to get the best flag pins. Follow him for all this thoughts here: https://twitter.com/GunterFehlinger (also on YouTube).
Listen to Corner Späti's profile of him here: https://www.operationglad.io/247
Get your tickets for our live show in Berlin, (October 14th at noon) here: https://www.podfestberlin.com/event-details/halfdaypass-1014-am.
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party is surging across Germany and the CDU seems increasingly willing to cooperate with them. Is the "firewall/Brandmauer" taboo of working with the radical right finally crumbling? To answer this, Ted speaks with historian Ned Richardson-Little (@HistoryNed) about the postwar history of the far right in both East and West Germany. They discuss how the AfD emerged and evolved and speculate about how its role in German politics might change in the coming years.
-Read the AfD's most racist comments here: https://www.dw.com/en/afd-leaders-and-their-most-offensive-remarks/g-37651099
-Check out Ned's writing here: https://historyned.blog/about/
-Weep at the latest polling here: https://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/
We also have a LIVE SHOW October 14th at noon in Berlin. More details to follow.
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Ted is joined by historian Quinn Slobodian to discuss his latest book, "Crack up Capitalism," including how his recent work on economic "zones" relates to his earlier thinking on neoliberalism and the tensions between capitalism and democracy. They also discuss the microstate of Lichtenstein and the rise of the far right in Germany.
You can buy Quinn's latest book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250753892/crackupcapitalism
And read his interview in the New Statesman here: https://www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-interview/2023/04/quinn-slobodian-interview-fantasies-fever-dreams-neoliberalism
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Support Spaßbremse on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/spassbremse
Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Talk is heating up of an impending split in the German Left Party, Die Linke. Sahra Wagenknecht, who has long been a controversial figure in the party, is now openly considering forming a breakaway party. On this episode, we have Loren Balhorn of Jacobin Germany and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung on to discuss what this would mean for the Die Linke and the potential new party.
Ted and Loren also go beyond the recent developments in the party to give more context for the party rift and discuss how the divide could play out, both for Die Linke and the German political landscape more broadly. They also look at the new CDU-SPD government in Berlin and the changes it's bringing.
Subscribe to hear all of our premium episodes here
Or give a one-time donation via PayPal ([email protected]) here
Loren's Jacobin piece on the party divisions
Loren's NLR piece on the Berlin election
Quinn Slobodian and William Callison's Dissent article on the "Aufstehen" movement
German Jacobin piece on the prospects of a Wagenknecht party
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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With the finals of this year's Eurovision Song Contest taking place this evening, we thought it would be a perfect time to reflect on the weird and sometimes surprising political and cultural history of the world's most-watched non-sporting event. Ted is joined by Kat Friege, a modern European historian at the University of Oxford.
For some more info about Eurovision, check out this article that Isaac wrote last year: https://xtramagazine.com/culture/music/eurovision-geopolitics-queer-trans-representation-222579
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Ted interviews Arne Semsrott of Freiheitsfonds, a bail fund for people who have been imprisoned for riding public transit without a ticket.
Check out the Freiheitsfonds website for more info: https://www.freiheitsfonds.de/ We encourage you to donate if you can!
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Ted talks to transport researcher Giulio Mattioli about recent transit-related German news, including Germany’s recent efforts to block a measure ending the sale of internal combustion engine cars at the EU-level. You can read more about that here.
For more from Giulio, you can follow him on Twitter: @giulio_mattioli.
Following the interview, we consider a recent article in Der Spiegel that says, come on, give the FDP a break! (Spoiler: we will not be giving the FDP a break.) You can check out that article for yourself here.
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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We're talking about something a bit different on this episode, and about a time period much earlier than we usually discuss: the witch trials of early-modern Germany. Why? Because it's Witchy Zeit in Germany!
Carnival/Fasching/Fastnacht just happened last month and at the end of April is Walpurgisnacht, also known as Hexenbrennen (witch burning). Michelle and Isaac give a bit of background about these witchy festivals at the start of the episode, before getting into an interview with Dr. Laura Kounine, lecturer in early modern history at the University of Sussex. Dr. Kounine published her book Imagining the Witch: Emotions, Gender and Selfhood in Early Modern Germany in 2018, and has some fascinating insights into the experiences of being put on trial for witchcraft during this period.
You can find more from Dr. Kounine on Twitter: @LauraKounine
To learn more about Fasching and Walpurgisnacht, check out these articles we cited:
Fasching: Tracing the Roots of South Germany's 'Dark Carnival' in The Local
Are You Reading for Walpurgisnacht, Germany's Night of Witches? in The Local
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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Here's a preview of our latest premium episode, where Ted talks about tanks! Specifically, he laments the anglophone media's gratuitous hand-wringing over Germany's alleged reluctance to adequately support Ukraine.
To listen to the full episode, support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/spassbremse
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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The whole team's back together again to discuss the upcoming repeat election happening in Berlin on Sunday, February 12.
Here's a link to the candidates' debate that we reference throughout the episode: https://www.rbb24.de/politik/hintergrund/livestream-ihre-wahl-kandidatencheck-berlin-abgeordnetenhaus.html
You can check out the latest polls and coalition possibilities here: https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/wahl-wiederholung-abgeordnetenhaus-2023-umfragen-prognosen-analysen-ergebnisse-wahlkarten/
And for some more background to the repeat election, check out this article from Deutsche Welle: https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-gears-up-to-repeat-botched-elections/a-64621620
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Co-hosted by Ted (@ted_knudsen) and Michelle (@shhellgames). Produced by Isaac (@wuermann).
Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.
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