Germany’s cooperation with dictatorships has been widely criticized over the past decade. Close ties to non-democratic states such as Russia, China, and Qatar have led to calls for tougher sanctions. However, the export-oriented Federal Republic of Germany is dependent on many autocracies, which makes it difficult to advocate for human rights and sanctions. Based on extensive archival research, historian Frank Bösch shows how these close relationships with dictatorships around the world have developed since 1950.

Guest of Honor and Greetings: H. E. Dr. Peter Reuss, German Ambassador to the Czech Republic

The Prague Lectures provide a platform for Czech and German scholars to exchange ideas in history and the humanities, fostering dialogue, methodological reflection, and cross-border cooperation.

Frank Bösch is Professor of 20th-Century European History at the University of Potsdam and Director of the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF). His most recent book analyzes Germany’s relations to autocracies (“Deals with Dictatorships. A Different History of the Federal Republic”).

Registration for online participation: https://tinyurl.com/PV20260511