Berlin and the Cold War Symposium

Ohio University and the Contemporary History Institute will host a virtual symposium on Berlin during the Cold War on 1-2 October 2021. The event is free and open to the public and features nine leading scholars in Europe and the United States in the areas of diplomatic and military history. Panelists will examine a variety of aspects of Berlin from 1945 to 1989 to better understand the city’s role in the Cold War. Topics covered will be intra-alliance politics, policy and strategy, and cultural diplomacy.

Panel 1: Friday, 1 October (1:30 – 3:00 EST)

·         Christian Ostermann, Woodrow Wilson Center

·         Petra Goedde, Temple University

·         Seth Givens, U.S. Marine Corps History Division

Panel 2: Saturday, 2 October (10:00 – 11:30 EST)

·         Hope M. Harrison, George Washington University

·         Erin Mahan, Office of the Secretary of Defense

·         Thomas Schwartz, Vanderbilt University

Panel 3: Saturday, 2 October (1:30 – 3:00 EST)

·         Vladislav Zubok, London School of Economics

·         Stephan Kieninger, Woodrow Wilson Center

·         Peter Ridder, Berliner Kolleg Kalter Krieg

German Consul General Wolfgang Mössinger will provide concluding remarks. The symposium is made possible through partnerships with the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Society for Military History, and Ohio University’s Baker Peace Studies program. Panels will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/OhioCHI/ and https://www.ohio.edu/news/2021/09/international-symposium-will-probe-berlin-and-cold-war-impact-history-and-import.