Historian and publicist Karl Schlögel, laureate of this year's Peace Prize of the Association of German Publishers and Booksellers, recently visited Lviv and spent several hours in hiding due to an air raid warning. “All those who do not want to hear any more about the war in Ukraine should go there. "They need to see what it means for Europe not to be able to prevent these day and night attacks on Ukrainian cities," Schlögel told DW.
He also pointed out that there could be a split in Europe over military aid to Ukraine - a split over how long Ukraine should be supported in its fight against the Russian aggressor.
One of the best experts on Eastern Europe
Historian Karl Schlögel is one of the best experts on Eastern Europe and warned very early on about Putin's aggressive expansionist policy. He is convinced that there can be no peace in Europe without a free Ukraine. For this and for his work on the cultural and contemporary history of Eastern Europe, Schlögel received the Peace Prize of the German Booksellers Association.
He has been interested in the region for decades. As a student, he first visited the Soviet Union in 1966, and in 1968 he had the opportunity to personally experience the "Prague Spring".
Schlögel's dissertation is about labor conflicts in the Soviet Union after the Stalin era. Schlögel visited Moscow and Leningrad many times, and in 1984 his first book "Reading Moscow" was published - his impressions of the Russian capital.
Schlögel is convinced that history comes to life only on the spot, through contacts - the historian should not rely only on archives. Among his most important works since then are "Moscow 1937" (2008), "Decision in Kiev" (2015), "The Soviet Century" (2017) and most recently "American Matrix" (2023). Schlögel is a history professor who taught in Konstanz and at the Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder.
"You can expect anything from Putin"
Moscow, the Soviet Union, Russia - these are the topics of Karl Schlögel. Until 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea. Schlögel visited Ukraine shortly afterwards - he wanted to get an idea. Then he wrote the following about Putin: "With him you have to be prepared for anything". He shares this opinion today. The constant provocations, the drone flights over NATO territory: for Schlögel, this is a continuation of Putin's policy of escalation, a show of force, without fear of the consequences.
Schlögel does not make predictions about the future to DW, but he rejects the thesis that Russia is doomed to an authoritarian regime forever. “Things can happen at any moment that we have no idea about. It turned out differently than the experts thought. Putin's blitzkrieg also did not take place."
The real problem, as the historian notes, is this: how will Russia free itself from the curse of empire? What will remain when the empire no longer exists? Just as the United States under President Trump is in a phase of uncertainty and restructuring. Schlögel does not think this is the end of America, but the times when the United States held a leading position are over.
Faithful to the cause of the Ukrainians
Ukrainians should not rely on Trump, Schlögel believes. That is why he was even more impressed during his visit to Lviv by the courage the people there exude and they want to show one thing above all - that one should not bow one's head to the aggressor.
In his speech after the award ceremony, Karl Schlögel will once again emphasize how important it is for Ukraine to remain independent. Another of his messages is that the world, even in times of fatigue and exhaustion from a number of other conflicts, must remain faithful to the cause of the Ukrainians.
The award will be presented on October 19 at the end of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Author: Sabine Kieselbach