The Real Miracle of Post-War Germany...and other research interests of Christina von Hodenberg.
IES: You have focused in particular on the history of journalists and judges. Why are these issues important to you, and what do you think they say about journalists and judges in Germany today? Von Hodenberg: Journalists and judges are both elites that are important for the way that a society negotiates value change, and they can both become very important in times of transition to a new political system. This was the case with the Prussian judges in the first half of the 19th century, who actually were major players in the German revolution of 1848, as well as with the journalists of the 1950s and 1960s in West Germany. But professions change fast, and judges and journalists today are pretty different from their predecessors. Of course, there are always some continuities. For example, the ideal Prussian judge still dominates the way that German lawyers are trained today. And some of the dominant ethics of 50s journalism never changed -- like the fact that German journalists have strong misgivings concerning investigative journalism. IES: Another focus of your work pertains is the revolution of 1848, and workers' upheavals during early industrialization. Workers upheavals created a strong working class party in Germany, and unions fought for the benefits that workers have today. Now, however, these benefits are being taken away systematically. Will there be a new kind of workers' uprising? Or will workers accept their fate as the state takes away their benefits and the unions seem helpless to stop them? Von Hodenberg: I would tell the story somewhat differently. Workers' protest and workers' solidarity were very important in shaping the labor movement and achieving social benefits, but many of the early uprisings (that I researched in particular) were not very efficient: violent action did not always translate into a change of politics. Only when workers became organized and supported their own political party did the situation truly improve. As for today, I don't think that German workers are really stripped of their benefits. Nobody wants to take away social security, health care, or state subsidies for the jobless. Rather, some of these benefits, and some privileges that people became used to in times of extraordinary affluence, are cut down and adjusted to the financial situation which indeed looks kind of bleak at the moment. And there is a lot of debate right now, but almost all workers grudgingly accept the reforms. There are and will be no violent uprisings exactly because basic benefits remain untouched, and nobody falls into abject poverty. IES: What is the focus of your most current research? Von Hodenberg: I would call it the 'real miracle', as opposed to the 'economic miracle' of post-war Germany. By this I mean that the fact that West Germany was able to become a more or less democratic society within only two to three decades: this was actually even more astonishing than the swift economic recovery of the 50s. If one takes into the account the considerable burden that the new state started off with in 1949 -- the many continuities to Nazi Germany, even dating back to Imperial Germany -- the relatively fast inner democratization can only be considered a miracle. The book that I just finished (actually one of the dreaded German 'Habilitationsschriften') deals with the inner democratization in the public sphere. It tries to identify the forces of change, and the continuities that worked as breaks, in the realm of the media, journalism, and public debates about political issues. Among my findings are the facts that denazification of journalists did not really work; that mainly generational changes contributed to reforms from the late 50s on, and that the mass media functioned as agents of inner democratization pretty early on, compared to other areas of German society. IES: Can you elaborate on the upcoming conference you’re helping to arrange: “New Research and Writing in Modern German History?” Why did you choose the speakers? Von Hodenberg: This is really a gathering of California historians who work on modern German (or Austrian) history. With this workshop, we want to establish a network for the future, and I am looking forward to meeting most of the UC colleagues from other campuses for the first time. It would be way too much to say that I chose the speakers. Those who have published major studies very recently, and those who have completed or nearly completed projects in their drawers, pretty much volunteered to the task. It is a wonderful opportunity to discuss my own research with so many distinguished colleagues, and to get to know the various dissertation projects as well, since we will also have two panels where graduate students present their research. IES: What is your connection to IES? Von Hodenberg: I am a visiting assistant professor under the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) program, and I teach for the History department and the German department. The IES is the forum where I go most often to discuss my research and meet colleagues from the US and abroad. I think the lecture series and workshops are most important for me. IES: How has being affiliated with the DAAD helped you? Von Hodenberg: The DAAD provides a lot of support to its professors, and also fosters a network among the 10-15 scholars that teach at North American universities right now. We all meet at least yearly to discuss our research as well as our teaching. The next meeting will be in Minneapolis in May. |
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Vol. 4 Issue 1 Spring 2004 |
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