Description: Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk's Freedom Shock examines East Germany's 1989/1990 upheaval as a struggle for freedom. The book explores the legacy of the GDR, the rise of the AfD, and why many East Germans align with Putin, advocating for personal responsibility and a realistic view of history.
Brief description:
Dr. Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk is a Berlin historian with Ukrainian family roots who has dedicated his life to the fight for freedom. He grew up under the SED dictatorship and has published groundbreaking works on the history of the GDR, communism, and German re-reunification including, in English, End Game: The Revolution in East Germany 1989-2024 (Berghahn Books 2022) as well as a monumental two-volume biography of Walter Ulbricht. The GDR is currently the subject of an intense German debate, and Kowalczuk is one of the most eminent voices in this controversial discussion.