“Sites of the History of Democracy” Consortium Founded
Thirty-four organizations and institutions from all over Germany founded the “Sites of the History of Democracy” consortium in Berlin on 1 June in the presence of Professor Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture and the Media. Their joint goal is to raise awareness of Germany’s history of democracy and freedom at the local, regional, and national levels. Their work’s temporal spectrum ranges from the French Revolution to the present day, including historical events such as the Hambach Festival, the German Revolutions of 1848-49, the Weimar Republic, the founding of the Federal Republic, and the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.
The consortium aims to promote memory work and identification with Germany’s history of democracy, thereby contributing to respect and acceptance of democratic processes, values, and institutions, as well as to willingness to take on an active role in shaping society. Awareness of the arduous road to freedom and democracy can make people more wary to threats to the basic consensus underpinning democracy, improving their ability to detect them. Weimarer Republik e.V. kicked off the work to set up this network in 2016 and is currently in charge of managing the consortium.