Deals with dictatorships

Book presentation and discussion with Frank Bösch

Buchcover Deals mit Diktaturen

Dealing with dictatorships has challenged West German democracy from the very beginning. In his new book "Deals with Dictatorships", Frank Bösch, Professor at the University of Potsdam and Director of the Leibniz Center for Contemporary History (ZZF), uses extensive archival research to show how the Germans established close contacts with numerous dictatorships. The exchange with autocracies in South America, East Asia and the Eastern Bloc changed with the governments. Through social protest, values and sanctions gradually gained in importance. However, as Frank Bösch vividly shows, business-oriented pragmatism remained the predominant pattern that profoundly shaped the history of the Federal Republic.

"Bösch's exciting book is a study of the cold pragmatism of the post-war governments" Deutschlandfunk

"From today's perspective, Bösch's book reads like a chronicle of incomprehensible scandals."
Süddeutsche Zeitung

The book presentation will be followed by a discussion with the author. Registration is possible until June 25.

Translated with DeepL

Next date:

• Date Wednesday, 26/June/2024 18:00 bis 19:30
• Venue Forum Willy Brandt Berlin
• Address Behrenstraße 15, 10117 Berlin-Mitte