Der Stoltzenberg-Skandal und die Krise der Hamburger Demokratie

In 1979, hundreds of tonnes of ammunition and chemical weapons were improperly stored in the heart of Hamburg. An explosion exposed serious failures within the administration and political establishment.
The affair contributed to the resignation of First Mayor Hans-Ulrich Klose, who was at odds with Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, and shook public confidence in government.
For weeks, the scandal dominated the headlines of Springer publications and the national media landscape. Theo Sommer, editor-in-chief of Die Zeit, even regarded it as a threat to democracy.
Drawing on a wide range of sources, this study examines the origins of the scandal and its farreaching impact on politics, the media, and urban society.