Moshe Zimmermann | People Gone Mad: How democracy destroys itself

„People gone mad“ – people have gone mad. Who wouldn’t have thought that recently? Moshe Zimmermann does not focus on individuals, but on entire societies, „the people“: Where is the tipping point, what is the trigger that causes seemingly stable democracies with a strong civil society to falter, dangerous populists to gain the upper hand or even a fascist „leader“ to seize power? What causes people to turn their backs on hard-won fundamental values such as freedom, justice and solidarity?

In the face of a threatening present under a growing number of authoritarian regimes, Moshe Zimmermann analyses striking historical examples such as the Dreyfus Affair in France, McCarthyism in the USA, the Weimar Republic in Germany and the reinterpretation of Zionism in Israel. The renowned historian shows how we can track down the enemies of democracy before we reach the point of no return.

Moshe Zimmermann will be connected online.

Moshe Zimmermann, born in Jerusalem in 1943, is professor emeritus of modern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; his research specialisms include anti-Semitism and nationalism. Until 2012, he headed the Koebner Centre for German History at the Hebrew University. He is the author of numerous books, most recently published by Propyläen Niemals Frieden? Israel at the Crossroads, which was nominated for the German Non-Fiction Prize 2024.