Historian of crime, international law, and human rights in Germany. Views are mine, not that of my employer.
he/him
Sep 13, 2018 • 12 tweets • 4 min read
A brief tour through the scandalous history of the German Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). It has had 12 directors since its founding in 1950 – seven have had to resign before they could finish their term. #Maaßen
The first head of Verfassungsschutz defected to East Germany in 1954. The next year he defected back and claimed he was kidnapped. He was imprisoned on charges of treason
Aug 13, 2018 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
#GDR#OTD 1961 – Construction of Berlin Wall begins - it will stand for the next 28 years. (1)
Berlin was already a divided city, but thousands still commuted daily across the East-West border until 1961 (2)
May 5, 2018 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
For #marx200 let's take a look at the actual demands of the Communist Party in 1848 as written by Marx, Engels and others. marxists.org/archive/marx/w… It's fascinating how many of these demands are now considered bog standard parts of a modern advanced state.
1. United Germany, check. 2. Universal franchise except for criminals, check 3. Paid elected representatives, check 4. Universal arming of the people, only in the US I guess 5. Free access to justice, semi-check 6. Abolition of feudal fees, check.
