englischThe terms ‘civil war’ and ‘romanticism’ play a subordinate role in the memory of real socialism and Marxism-Leninism. Yet they were of outstanding importance for the self-images formed by Marx, Lenin and Stalin. This detailed study of Rudolf Bahro's early work and its intellectual and [...]

englischSovereignty needs to be justified. This also applies to the dictatorship of Islamic State (ISIS). But how does ISIS attempt to normatively legitimise its political system, which is not just the result of a purely nihilistic power project? This study explores this core question and classifies [...]

Der politische Extremismus in Deutschland wird von beträchtlichen regionalen Unterschieden dominiert. Die ländlichen Regionen des Ostens gelten als Schwerpunkte des Rechtsextremismus – Großstädte wie Berlin, Hamburg und Leipzig als Hotspots der linksextremen Szene. Doch existiert bislang keine [...]

englischNot only do terrorist actors interact with supporters loyal to their cause, but there is also interaction between such actors. Although relationships between terrorist actors can have serious consequences, they are rarely the subject of research. This work aims at filling that gap. Based on [...]

englischMartin Luther King and East Germany are connected both directly and indirectly. The Communist Party had the power to make public decisions on agenda-setting topics related to Martin Luther King. The Christian Bloc Party mostly represented the state and published books by Martin Luther King, [...]

englischContrary to extremists, populists do not inherently oppose democracy. However, regardless of their ideologies, both think in terms of friend and foe, are attracted to charismatic leaders and perceive the people as a homogeneous entity. Adopting a critical stance towards ideology, this study [...]

englischThe political scientist and historian Peter Graf Kielmannsegg has dedicated his academic career to analysing the liberal constitutional state, its roots and the manifold challenges it poses. By examining his writings in both a biographical and contemporary context, this study is the first to [...]

englischThe current populist wave of electoral success has put democracy under pressure. Yet, whereas the tension between populism and democracy appears to be the main challenge of our times, the conflict over the basic principles of constitutional democracy is part of a long historical development. [...]

englischAs studies to date have shown, the aims and key aspects of the GDR’s youth policy and its practical consequenc-es have not yielded satisfactory results. Steffi Lehmann’s study is the first to contextualise the SED’s ideological demands as well as the real consequences of its youth policy and [...]

englischWith the end of the bipolar world order and with the threat of communism having waned, anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism and anti-capitalism have come to the fore in political discourse. The three extremes represented by Islamism, right-wing extremism and left-wing extremism use the [...]