Germany

Stealing a Living

Theft in East Germany was so common as to be nicknamed ‘the people’s sport’. Why were citizens of the GDR so light-fingered?

The ‘Jena Set’

The quiet German town that formed the backdrop for the first German Romantic movement.

A Shared Culture

How a German colony laid the groundwork for the alliance between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Germany United

The first German constitution was ratified in April 1871. Designed by Otto von Bismarck to preserve the old regime, it would eventually help bring about its downfall.

Execution of the Tailor-King

The bodies of Jan Bockelson, and two other leaders of the Anabaptist sect, were hung outside the church of St Lambert on 22 January 1536.

Was German Unification Inevitable?

In January 1871 Bismarck declared the German nation united. Following a tragic 20th century, Germany reunified once more in 1990. Four historians offer their perspectives on both events.

Who’s Afraid of the Stasi?

The sinister reach of East Germany’s Ministry for State Security did not end in 1989. According to the British press, the Stasi is still with us.