ZEITGEIST - The Podcast

After the Second World War and the Holocaust, many Germans wanted nothing more than to leave the past behind and bury discussions around guilt and responsibility. But the German-Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer made it his mission to bring justice to the Nazis and force a nation to confront its complicity in war and genocide. I speak to Jack Fairweather, author of a new book that brings the remarkable story of Fritz Bauer to life. Get full access to ZEITGEIST at www.katjahoyer.uk/subscribe

From butcher's daughter in Communist Hungary to winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine 2023 — Katalin Karikó’s story is astonishing. I spoke to her about growing up in a state that offered excellent education and childcare as well as brutal oppression and secret police surveillance. And I asked her what it was like to move from Hungary to America, to persevere and to make a breakthrough that changed the world.Katalin Karikó’s brilliant memoir Breaking Through: My Life In Science is out now in English and German. Get full access to ZEITGEIST at www.katjahoyer.uk/subscribe

In the 1790s an extraordinary group of friends changed the world. Disappointed by the French Revolution's rapid collapse into tyranny, what they wanted was nothing less than a revolution of the mind…I spoke to Andrea Wulf about her amazing book Magnificent Rebels, which brings historical figures to life whose echoes I had heard loud and clear during my time in Jena in central Germany where I studied history and they dreamt up new ways of thinking, loving, writing and creating over 200 years earlier. Get full access to ZEITGEIST at www.katjahoyer.uk/subscribe

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, images of celebrating Germans went around the world. But there is another story, too. Nearly a quarter of East Germans have since left their home and moved west. One of them is journalist Sabine Rennefanz. On ZEITGEIST, we talk about her life in the GDR, her new book Kosakenberg and what it means to be East German today. Get full access to ZEITGEIST at www.katjahoyer.uk/subscribe

German car making is nearly as old as the state itself and woven into the national fabric. It fuelled the country’s innovative zeal during its ‘second’ Industrial Revolution at the end of the 19th century. It was a crucial pillar of Hitler’s social and economic vision for Nazi Germany. The lack of automotive desirability made East Germans yearn for more while its presence restored West German confidence. And now? What is Germany’s mighty car industry falling behind in the race for Green mobility? And if so, what does this mean for the nation’s economy and its psyche? I left my VW Polo at home, hopped on a train and made by way to Central London where I met the legendary car journalist and TV presenter James May in London to discuss what made German cars so ‘nice’, what they mean to people in Germany and around the world and where he thinks this is all headed. A history enthusiast as well as a car man, James is ideally placed to give us a whistle-stop tour of German cars from Benz and Beetle to Trabant and TT. Enjoy!ZEITGEIST is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to ZEITGEIST at www.katjahoyer.uk/subscribe