Bernd Greiner

What is going on in the USA? Where does the poison in the political establishment come from? How did white heat become the political operating temperature? Donald Trump and his MAGA movement have roots that reach far back into the “American century”. Bernd Greiner uncovers them on this evening and tells a different story of the USA over the last hundred years: the story of internal conflicts, uncompromising centrist extremism and self-appointed guardians of democracy who limit democratic participation. His view extends far beyond individual presidents – and shows why Trump is just a symptom.

Bernd Greiner is founding director and staff member of the Berlin Center for Cold War Studies. He taught non-European history at the University of Hamburg and headed the Theory and History of Violence department at the Hamburg Institute for Social Research until 2014. 2025 saw the publication of his latest book Weißglut. The internal wars of the USA. A history from 1900 to the present day.

In the series Schlaglicht USA

Info on the event series:
Democracy under pressure
250 years of American democracy – and at the same time a political change of course with global consequences: Schlaglicht USA analyzes how the political balance of power is shifting in President Trump’s second term and what security and economic policy consequences “America First” has for transatlantic relations In this series, influential voices from politics, science, law and culture discuss what freedom, justice and democracy mean in the 21st century.

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