Russia expert Karl Schlogel warned the West that things are about to develop dramatically. He compared the current situation to the eve of World War II.
Christopher Cohen/t-online
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Karl Schlögel is one of the most prominent contemporary experts on Eastern Europe. Few people know the region better than the 78-year-old professor, who traveled through what was then Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union as a student. Schloegel studied for a time in Moscow and later introduced Germans to the history, culture and mentality of Eastern Europe through his numerous books.
Karl Schlögel sees parallels with the 1930s.Picture: www.imago-images.de
Now, the historian warns that the danger of war is growing because of the domestic and foreign threats the West currently faces. He told the Rheinische Post: “We are in a pre-war situation, which has a lot to do with the 1930s.” At that time, people may have suspected something, but it was not possible to estimate it accurately. Schloegel said there are a lot of “cracks in the rafters” in world politics right now. The war in Ukraine is one of the biggest tests facing a democratically governed country.
“The question is whether we are currently in danger or whether we will succumb and surrender. “I never imagined that an emergency like this would occur and that we would find ourselves in such a difficult situation,” Schloegl said.
Historians warn Putin is a 'sadist'
He said it was completely open how Europe would defend its position. But there are signs that this Europe is much more powerful than it seems now. He does not believe that future U.S. President Donald Trump will abandon Ukraine because that would abandon everything that Schlogel believes the United States stands for. But according to the 76-year-old, “of course some things will change”. The only question is how to adapt to it.
“The United States will no longer bear the sole burden of defending the West and supporting Ukraine. Therefore, the burden will be redistributed. This is exactly what Europe and Germany are about to face.”
It's not surprising, but ultimately this situation could have been prepared for earlier.
The historian has long warned against underestimating Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. He is a “KGB-trained power manager,” a “sadist,” an “imperial dreamer and postmodern cyber warrior” who “seeks to divide Europe with great skill.”
Schloegel: 'The West surrendered to violence'
Therefore, Schlogel calls on politicians in Western democracies to adapt to this “new type of leader.” But so far, they haven't really succeeded in doing that. Therefore, Schlogel repeatedly compared the situation with that of the 1930s on the eve of World War II. There was also an “analytical, intellectual and political overload” at that time.
Not long ago, Schlogel confirmed that in the face of the Russian threat, “everything is beyond the control” of the West. He demonstrates that Western secular societies and their politicians suffer from “internal contradictions” and “self-destructive developments,” including a “willingness to abandon oneself, appeasement, and surrender to violence.”
For Schlogel, who will receive a €100,000 prize from the Gerda Henkel Foundation in Düsseldorf on November 25, rising populism in Europe is a symptom that deserves to be taken seriously :
“If the will of the electorate leads to the strengthening of demagogues and polarizers on the left or right, that means something is wrong with the way democracy works.”
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