The ‘Zeitenwende’, announced by Olaf Scholz days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, meant a profound shift in Germany’s self-image. With writer Philipp Oehmke and political analyst Caroline de Gruyter we explore the implications of this new cultural reality.

After its defeat in the Second World War, Germany transformed from a militaristic regime into a soft power house. Self-conscious pacifism became a core part of the German identity. Is Germany now ready to become a military player of geopolitical significance? And how would that affect the German sense of self? We discuss this with German author Philipp Oehmke, who dissected post-war Germany in his family novel The Schönwalds, and Caroline de Gruyter, journalist and political commentator for outlets including Dutch newspaper NRC.

Philipp Oehmke (1974) grew up in Bonn and studied journalism at Columbia University. After four years working for the magazine of the renowned Süddeutsche Zeitung, he switched to Der Spiegel. In 2015 he moved to New York, returning to Berlin in 2020. Oehmke is widely regarded as one of the best journalists of his generation. He is currently heading the culture section of Der Spiegel. His biography of the German punk band Die Toten Hosen spent several weeks on the bestseller list, as did his debut novel Schönwald. Oehmke is currently working on a sequel to Schönwald.

Caroline de Gruyter is a journalist and political analyst. She is a European Affairs correspondent and columnist for the leading Dutch newspaper NRC and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy, EUobserver and De Standaard. She spent more than twenty years covering Europe, from different corners of the continent.

This programme is a part of the Forum on European Culture 2025 and took place on June 29 2025.

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