Willy Brandt's activities as a young Social Democrat brought him into conflict with the Nazi regime. Forced to flee Germany to escape arrest, Brandt went into exile in Norway and then in Sweden after Norway was occupied. Shortly after World War II, Brandt covered the Nuremberg Trials for the Scandinavian Workers’ Press. After re-entering German politics, Brandt had to deal with communism, confronting a different version of totalitarian rule. In his lecture, Prof. Faulenbach will look at how Brandt's experience of the Nazi dictatorship, in exile, and as a political leader clearly committing himself to social democracy reverberated in his political work and how it influenced his foreign policy both toward Eastern Europe ("Ostpolitik") and toward the Western allies.
Program
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Welcome: Hartmut Berghoff, GHI
Opening: Bernd Rother, Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung
Introduction of Speaker: Pia Bungarten, Friedrich Ebert Foundation DC
Lecture: Bernd Faulenbach, Uni Bochum
*The lecture will be followed by a short Q&A discussion with Professor Faulenbach*
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Exhibition: 150 years of Social Democracy
Germany—and more broadly Europe—cannot be understood without acknowledging the key contributions and sacrifices of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) in establishing a stable democracy and enhancing social justice. In May 2013, the German Social Democratic Party celebrated its 150th birthday. The exhibition, presented at the German Historical Institute in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, from Sept 9-13, 2013, will give an informative overview of the challenges the SPD has faced in its history—its many successes and some of its bitter defeats. The SPD pushed for the development of the German welfare state and democracy from the beginning. Banned during the Imperial time, the Nazi regime, and in the GDR, the Social Democrats fought constantly for human and social rights and not just for the core group of skilled workers. Even in the face of persecution from the Nazis and later the SED regime it has remained true to its fundamental values. The Weimar democracy and the transfer of post-war Germany to a modern and stable democracy weren’t possible without the contributions of the SPD. The party history, however, was always shaped by factionalism and intense discussion on the profile of the party’s goals. The exhibition will cover all these topics and will give a better understanding of the differences between the American and the German party systems.
*Light appetizers and refreshments will be served during the exhibition*
Short Bio
Professor Bernd Faulenbach is professor of modern history at Ruhr University in Bochum (Germany). Until 2007 he was Vice Director of the Institute for Labor, Education, and Participation at the same university. He is the author of numerous books and articles on German and European History in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, historiography and politics of public memory.