What happened when civil rights activist, one-time FBI’s most wanted, scourge of J Edgar Hoover, Angela Davis met the GDR? A lot actually. Want to find out? Join us as we dive into Angela’s early years and into her eventful 20s, growing up surrounded by threats of death and violence in the southern US to studying in Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin. And discover why she holds cult statues for an entire generation of children and youngsters who grew up under the leadership of the GDR. Oh… and there’s a Mitford sister in there, just for laughs! (Pip mispronounces Marcuse, but she’s only just met him and she knows now, ok?!)

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Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours? You can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.

You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok, and more!

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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

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Sources 

The LRB Podcast States of Shock Pankaj Mishra and Adam Shatz

Maria Schubert
Solidarity! Angela Davis and the GDR https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/kul/art/one/22172301.html

Black History for White People- podcast April 6 2022

Autobiography: https://decolonisesociology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/angela-davis-autobiography.pdf

GDR Solidarity Goethe article https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/kul/art/one/22172301.html#drittens

Sov Union and Angela- “You Are Not Alone”: Angela Davis and the Soviet Dreams of Freedom Maxim Matusevich

"Schwarze Schwester Angela" – Die DDR und Angela Davis. Kalter Krieg, Rassismus und Black Power, 1965–1975, Lorenz, Sophie- Review by David Spreen.

Time Magazine article April 3, 1972 12:00 AM EST: https://time.com/archive/6639469/east-germany-st-angela/ 

'Comrade Angela Davis': An icon in East Germany, Rayna Breuer -DW

„Free Angela Davis!“ – Black Power und die

Jugend der DDR - Maria Schubert

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/mar/05/angela-davis-on-the-power-of-protest-we-cant-do-anything-without-optimism 

Color–blind and Color–coded Racism: Angela Davis, the New Left in Hungary, and “Acting Images” by Kata Krasznahorkai

Who’s Afraid of Angela Davis?: An American Icon and the Political Uses of Youth Literature in the GDR, Ada Bieber

Sarah E James, The Friendship between East Germany and Angela Davis, Frieze, https://www.frieze.com/article/friendship-between-east-germany-and-angela-davis

2 Walls Turned Sideways are Bridges: Angela Davi

And what a special it is! We're joined by the Berlin Companion herself, Beata Gontarczyk-Krampe, author of the wonderful  Berlin Companion blog. Beata's deep dives into Berlin history most people have never heard of are consitently fascinating and delightful. If you like this show, you'll love her blog!

Beata blessed us with surprising stories of Berlin Christmases past over wine and Christmas treats - What is a Christmas Pyramide? What didn't Prince Albert bring to Britain, and if you're not actually feeling that festive we did manage to slip in some WAR!

Love listening to Beata? Get the Berlin Companion app on Apple or Android and join Beata for audio walks around Berlin!

Follow Berlin Companion on BlueSky, Substack, x.com, and Instagram

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Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours? You can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.

You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok, and more!

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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

What makes a king “Great”? In this episode, we follow up on our exploration of Frederick’s intense and domineering father, the Soldier King, to uncover what shaped Frederick into a true Renaissance man. With secret lessons in music and literature, famously philosphers, the flute, and an incredible instinct for survival, Frederick became one of history’s most intriguing monarchs.

Sure, he invaded another kingdom early in his reign - young and impulsive, we all are (or were) - but even he admitted it was totes silly and he won't do it again, promise - don't hold it against him!

Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours? You can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.

You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok, and more!

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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

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Sources

Frederick the Great By Nancy Mitford (1970)

The Rise of Prussia a History of Europe Key Battles podcast

BBC In our Time: Frederick the Great Podcast

THIS guy...This. Guy.

Meet Friedrich Wilhelm II. The Soldier King. Father of Friedrich the Great, second ever King of Prussia. He's a fighter not a lover, unless you're over 6 foot, in which case watch out, he might love you so hard you'll be taken away to join his battalion of giant human toy soldiers.

In what was a surprisingly fulfilling fall down a Prussian rabbit hole, we discuss the Passion of the Soldier King, to the great disappointment of his mother and the brutalisation of his children and subjects.

You never thought you could have this much fun talking about Prussians!


Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours you can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.

You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more!

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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

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Sources
Memoirs of the Queens of Prussia: Emma Willsher Atkinson (1858)

Frederick the Great By Nancy Mitford (1938)

madmonarchs.nl

The Rise of Prussia a History of Europe Key Battles podcast

BBC In our Time: Frederick the Great Podcast

Wanna have a coffee? Well, I hope you're not an East German in the '70s & '80s, 'cos it's gonna be tough (and taste like wood).

On this episode of History Flakes Pip & Jonny dive deep into the lukewarm cup of coffee that is East Germany's struggle to procure the brown stuff for its people. To do that we've enlisted the help of TikTok's own Call Me Steve. If you follow Jonny on various socials you may have bumped into Steve's excellent, deep, engaging, and humorous East German/Cold War content. He takes us on a ride through East Germany's economic woes as we sit and sip our own coffee (Jonny had tea...) in East Berlin's Café Sibylle.

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Jonny's idea (sorry) to record this in a café was perhaps a little ambitious. Bear with us through some robotoic AI-sounding audio.

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Want more Steve? You got it:

• YouTube
• TikTok
• Instagram

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Tours
Want to book Pip & Jonny for tours you can get in touch via the Whitlam's Berlin Tours website.

You can follow Jonny online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more!

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Donations keep us running. If you like the show and want to support it, you can use the following links:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

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Sources

Books
Brewing Socialism: Coffee, East Germans, and Twentieth-Century Globalization by Andrew Kloiber

⁠Communism Unwrapped: Consumption in Cold War Eastern Europe edited by Paulina Bren and Mary Neuburger

⁠Illustrierte Konsumgeschichte der DDR by Annette Kaminsky

⁠The Plans That Failed: An Economic History of the GDR by André Steiner

Stasi Files
https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/reaktionen-auf-die-versorgungsprobleme-mit-kaffee-1/

https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/tendenzen-der-unzufriedenheit-in-der-bevoelkerung-1/

https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/tendenzen-der-unzufriedenheit-in-der-bevoelkerung-2/

https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1977/report/reaktionen-auf-die-versorgungsprobleme-mit-kaffee-2/

Come enjoy an atmospheric walk around a cemetery bursting with history! Let's explore the Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde in this beautiful, golden Autumn together.

Listen at home, or follow along with a blog post, map, and photos - you could even follow the route as you walk through the cemetery!

How do you do that? Check out this link to find a map, exact locations of all the graves, photos to make it easier to find them, and information on each of the people we discuss.

To celebrate the beautfiul change of season, crunching leaves (Jonny) and acorns (Pip) underfoot, and not least Halloween, we hope you agree this is something a bit special. The Friedrichsfelde Cemetery is the final resting place of many Berlin workers and towering figures in the Socialist and Communist movements.

Find the graves of Walter Womacka, Rosa Luxemburg, (in)famous spies, WWII victims the man responsible for setting up the Berlin Wall and loads more!

You can get in touch and book Jonny or Pip for a tour of Berlin via www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com.

... and don't forget to subscribe for more Berlin history every two weeks!

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Did you enjoy this special episode? Consider donating to keep the show running:

Donate €50 •• Donate €20 •• Donate €10 •• Donate €5

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You can find Jonny online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more!

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Mixed and Produced by Alex Griffiths
https://www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/
https://alexgriffiths.bandcamp.com/

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Sources

Berliner Friedhöfe by Ingolf Wernicke

https://www.sozialistenfriedhof.de/

Dear Listener,

Come closer to the fire, pull your shawl a little tighter about your shoulders...pay no attention to the pale looking figure staring longingly at your neck from the shadows.

It is our great pleasure to kick off History Flakes Season 2 with a celebration of Halloween and the story of film maker F. W. Murnau and his most infamous film NOSFERATU.

We've missed you most cruelly, but now we're back to accompany you through the harsh depths of winter.

ALSO...Pip's mic went a bit weird on this one, apologies, it's not your headphones!

You can get in touch and book Jonny or Pip for a tour of Berlin via www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com.

Don't forget to subscribe for more Berlin history every two weeks!

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You can find Jonny online on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more!

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Mixed and Produced by Alex Griffiths
https://www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/
https://alexgriffiths.bandcamp.com/

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Sources

Where to Begin with F.W. Murnau, Ben Nicholson

Nosferatu review, Roger Ebert

F.W. Murnau, Director of the Nosferatu - Stuff You Missed in History Class

The F.W. Murnau Foundation - www.murnau-stiftung.de

'The Sun and Her Stars: Salka Viertel and Hitler's Exiles in the Golden Age of Hollywood' by Donna Rifkind

The Horror Films of F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu, Phantom, The Haunted Castle and Faust), Dark Corners Reviews

F.W. Murnau Biography - Director of Nosferatu, Portraits of History

Let's dive into the wild and bruising life of Germany’s best-known pugilist, Max Schmeling—the man who went from Weimar wonder to darling of Nazi propaganda, and somehow managed to emerge in post-WWII West Germany with an intact reputation.

Schmeling’s life reads like a script from the golden age of cinema—coming of age in the chaos of Weimar Germany, he punched his way to the top, becoming a national hero with a controversial world title and a shocking victory over Joe Louis. But it wasn’t all champagne and glory. A short turn in the movies, reinventing himself as a Coca-Cola mogul and beloved television star, Schmeling’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and how a nation deals with its past - this man was a star in the Weimar, Third Reich, *and* West German eras!

Tune in to hear how this legendary boxer left his mark on the ring and on history itself.

Recorded at the Comedy Cafe in Berlin.

Want to come to the next History Flakes LIVE recording? Keep up to date with Jonny's Instagram, Threads, and Twitter for more info on upcoming shows!

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You can get in touch and book Jonny or Pip for a tour of Berlin via www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com. Don't forget to subscribe for more Berlin history every two weeks!

Mixed and Produced by Alex Griffiths
https://www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/
https://alexgriffiths.bandcamp.com/

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Sources
Max Schmeling and the Making of a National Hero in Twentieth-Century Germany (Palgrave Studies in Sport and Politics), Jon Hughes

Stalingrad und der Nationalsozialismus Podcast mit Christoph Fromm, Folge 162: Max Schmeling und Johann Trollmann - von Helden und Außenseitern

The Lost Cities of Berlin by Historia Mag

Anita Berber, pioneering dance performer extraordinaire, or violent thieving drug-addled lunatic? Why not both!?

Join us during our first live recording as we talk about the life and times of Anita Berber, the ultimate performance wunderkind of Weimar Berlin. There’s quite a bit bubbling up under the surface, and the inter-war peace feels pretty tenuous. Much like the era itself, her nihilist self-destruction and sexual decadence flickers brightly and briefly, leaving a vacuum for the horrors to come that we know all too well.

Recorded at the Comedy Cafe Berlin

Part 2 coming soon!

You can get in touch and book Jonny or Pip for a tour of Berlin via www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com. Don't forget to subscribe for more Berlin history every two weeks!

Mixed and Produced by Alex Griffiths
https://www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/
https://alexgriffiths.bandcamp.com/

Sources:
Voluptuous Panic, by Mel Gordon.

The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berber: Weimar Berlin’s Priestess of Depravity, by Mel Gordon.

Finally, the most important part of any super spy’s career… Le Sex. Markus Wolf continues to prove himself second to none in spy mastery. We hear about his highs and lows…but mostly highs because he wrote the book on himself which we’re using and he’s both humble but amazing actually (and epic in bed).

Join us as we try to remain un-seduced by Markus Wolf’s account of his own life. Infiltrating the highest office of West Germany, building his roster of Romeo spies, to his final act, publishing a book in a very unexpected genre.

+++ COME SEE US LIVE ON FRI, AUG 16 AT HOUSE OF COLOR +++
Drinks, banter, and history - Pip & Jonny tackle escapes through the Iron Curtain and over the Berlin Wall
🎟️ **Tap here for tickets**  🎟️

You can get in touch and book Jonny or Pip for a tour of Berlin via www.whitlams-berlin-tours.com. Don't forget to subscribe for more Berlin history every two weeks!

Mixed and Produced by Alex Griffiths
https://www.instagram.com/alexgriffiths_music/
https://alexgriffiths.bandcamp.com/

Sources:

Man Without A Face: The Autobiography Of Communism's Greatest Spymaster, Markus Wolf & Anne McElvoy, 1999

Markus Wolf - Der DDR-James Bond, Die Geschichtsmacher Podcast, 24 Jan 2022

Geheimnisse der russischen Küche (The Secrets of Russian Cooking), Markus Wolf, 1995