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Dr Eckard Michels

Positions held:
  • Reader in German History, School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
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  • Overview

    Overview

    Biography

    After graduating in 1989 with a MA in modern history from the Universität Hamburg, I worked for four years in the history department of the Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg (German Army University) as a research assistant while also writing my PhD on German cultural propaganda in occupied France during the Second World War. Afterwards, I attended for two years a training programme at the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Bonn (Museum for Contemporary German History) for museum curators. Finally, I worked for a year as an election supervisor for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in EuropeÌýin Bosnia-Hercegovina before joining ÌÇÐÄlogoÈë¿Ú in October 1997.

    Highlights

    • I have written eight monographs on German and French political and military history ranging from the 19th to the 21st century. Apart from the usual academic journals and websites, my books have been reviewed by some of the best known newspapers and magazines in the German speaking world such as Der Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt, Handelsblatt,ÌýDerÌýTagespiegel,ÌýNeue Zürcher Zeitung, Cicero, Neues Deutschland, Junge Freiheit, Stuttgarter Zeitung, Leipziger Volkszeitung,Ìý Generalanzeiger Bonn or radio stations like Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio Kultur.Ìý

    • I received in 2008 the Werner Hahlweg Award for Military History for the biography of the German colonial officer Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. My article in the Vierteljahrshefte für ZeitgeschichteÌýabout the impact of the First World War on the course and perception of the Spanish Influenza in Germany won the prize for the best piece published in this journal in 2010.

    • The books about the West German Student Movement of the 1960s (published in 2017) and the history of the French Foreign LegionÌý(published in 2020) are also distributed by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung. This institution subsidises affordable paperback versions of books on historical and political topics considered to be of particular interest for the general public in Germany.

    Office hours

    Appointments can be arranged Mondays to Fridays via email.

    Administrative responsibilities

    • Programme director BA German
    • Programme director BA Modern Languages

    Honours and awards

    • 1 year postdoctoral fellowship at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Paris for a research project on Germans in the French foreign legion Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, August 1995
    • Werner Hahlweg Award for Military History for the biography of the German colonial officer Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung, August 2008
    • Best article in 2010 for the journal Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte (article about the Spanish Influenza in Germany in 1918/19) Institut für Zeitgeschichte Munich, August 2011
    • 2 months Summer Fellowship at the Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschungen Potsdam to do research for my biography of the East German Stasi spy Günter Guillaume Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschungen Potsda, August 2012

    ORCID

  • Research

    Research

    Research interests

    • 20th century German political and military history
    • 20th century French military history
    • 19th and 20th century colonial warfare
    • Spanish Influenza

    Research projects

    Beim Bund

    Abstract

    A history of conscription in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 until today.

    Outcomes

    circa 400 pages monograph to be published in autumn 2026 by Herder.Ìý

    Insel der Seligen? Die Bundeswehr und West-Berlin 1955 - 2000

    Outcomes

    Article in an academic journal

  • Supervision and teaching

    Supervision and teaching

    Supervision

    I am in particular interested in supervising PhD projects on 20th century German political and military history.ÌýÌý

    I have supervised two PhDs on German history, both have also been turned as revised versions into books: Peter Collar, Propaganda on the Rhine: Weimar Germany, Race and Occupation after World War IÌý(London: I.B. Tauris 2013) and Roshan Maghub, Edgar Julius Jung, Right-Wing Enemy of the Nazis: A Political Biography (Rochester: Camden House 2017).

    Teaching

    19th to 21st century German and European history at BA and MA level, German as a Foreign Language (B1 to C2) 

    Teaching modules

    • German 4 (Level 4)
    • The Weimar Republic
    • Culture and Image
    • German 3 (Level 4)
    • Doing Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics
  • Publications

    Publications

    Article

    • Michels, Eckard (2017) . Frankfurter Rundschau pp. 34.
    • Michels, Eckard (2014) . Museumsmagazin pp. 30-31. ISSN 1433-349X.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . Die Zeit (28),
    • Michels, Eckard (2011) . Nouvelle Revue Historique (52), pp. 60-63.
    • Michels, Eckard (2010) . Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte 58 (1), pp. 1-33. ISSN 0042-5702.
    • Michels, Eckard (2008) . German Historical Institute London Bulletin 30 (2), pp. 80-88. ISSN 0269-8552.
    • Michels, Eckard (2008) . Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte 56 (3), pp. 467-492. ISSN 0042-5702.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . Revue d'Allemagne et des pays de langue allemande 38 (4), pp. 541-554. ISSN 0035-0794.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . Francia 33 (3), pp. 139-144. ISSN 0251-3609.
    • Michels, Eckard (2004) . German History 22 (2), pp. 206-228. ISSN 0266-3554.
    • Michels, Eckard (2002) . Cahiers du Centre d’Etudes d’Histoire de la Défense 18, pp. 147-173.
    • Michels, Eckard (2001) . Die Zeit 76,
    • Michels, Eckard (2001) . Lendemains 103/4, pp. 97-107. ISSN 0170-3803.
    • Michels, Eckard (2001) . Zeitschrift für Kulturaustausch 51 (2), pp. 12.
    • Michels, Eckard (1999) . Revue d'Allemagne et des pays de langue allemande 31, pp. 439-452. ISSN 0035-0794.
    • Michels, Eckard (1998) . Francia 25 (3), pp. 125-135. ISSN 0251-3609.
    • Michels, Eckard (1998) . Dokumente 54, pp. 341-344. ISSN 0012-5172.
    • Michels, Eckard (1997) . Dokumente 53, pp. 144-147. ISSN 0012-5172.
    • Michels, Eckard (1997) . Auswärtiger Dienst 3/4, pp. 88-90.
    • Michels, Eckard (1996) . Francia 23 (3), pp. 1-22. ISSN 0251-3609.
    • Michels, Eckard (1996) . Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen 55 (2), pp. 431-482. ISSN 2193-2336.
    • Michels, Eckard (1995) . Geschichte - Erziehung - Politik 6, pp. 361-368. ISSN 0863-4378.
    • Michels, Eckard (1995) . Dokumente 51, pp. 28-34. ISSN 0012-5172.
    • Michels, Eckard (1994) . Lendemains 75/76, pp. 125-134. ISSN 0170-3803.
    • Michels, Eckard (1991) . Revue d'Allemagne 23, pp. 451-466. ISSN 0035-0794.

    Book

    • Michels, Eckard (2026) . Verlag Herder. ISBN 9783451396489.
    • Michels, Eckard (2021) . Erfurt, Germany: Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen. ISBN 9783948643232.
    • Michels, Eckard (2020) . Freiburg, Germany: Verlag Herder. ISBN 9783451385339.
    • Michels, Eckard (2017) . Berlin, Germany: Ch.Links Verlag. ISBN 9783861539438.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . Berlin, Germany: Christoph Links. ISBN 9783861537083.
    • Michels, Eckard (2008) . Paderborn, Germany: Schöningh Wissenschaft. ISBN 9783506763709.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . Krieg in der Geschichte. 2, Paderborn, Germany: Schöningh. ISBN 9783506757180.
    • Michels, Eckard (2005) . Studien zur Zeitgeschichte. 70, Munich, Germany: Oldenbourg. ISBN 9783486594669.
    • Michels, Eckard (1993) . Stuttgart, Germany: Steiner. ISBN 9783515063814.

    Book review

    • Michels, Eckard (2026) .
    • Michels, Eckard (2024) .
    • Michels, Eckard (2022) .
    • Michels, Eckard (2017) .
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    Book section

    • Michels, Eckard (2026) . In: Bütow, T. and Defrance, C. and Pfeil, U. (eds.) 63 Orte der deutsch-französischen Geschichte - Von 1870 bis heute. Verlag Herder. pp. 226-230. ISBN 9783451036422.
    • Michels, Eckard (2020) . In: Grawe, L. (ed.) Die militärische Elite des Kaiserreichs. 24 Lebensläufe. Darmstadt, Germany: WBG. pp. 176-188. ISBN 9783806240184.
    • Michels, Eckard (2017) . In: Waldner, K. (ed.) In der französischen Fremdenlegion 1894-1898. Kehl, Germany: Epee Edition. pp. 13-22. ISBN 9783943288292.
    • Michels, Eckard (2016) . In: Echternkamp, J. and Mack, H.-H. (eds.) Geschichte ohne Grenzen? Europäische Dimensionen der Militärgeschichte vom 19. Jahrhundert bis heute. De Gruyter Oldenburg. pp. 153-162. ISBN 9783110411188.
    • Michels, Eckard (2015) . In: Jonas, M. and Lappenküper, U. and von Wrochem, O. (eds.) Dynamiken der Gewalt. Krieg im Spannungsfeld von Politik, Ideologie und Gesellschaft. Paderborn, Germany: Schöningh. pp. 329-343. ISBN 9783506779397.
    • Michels, Eckard (2014) . In: Daniel, U. and Gatrell, P. and Janz, O. and Jones, H. and Keene, J. and Kramer, A. and Nasson, B. (eds.) 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Berlin, Germany: Freie Universität Berlin.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Defrance, C. and Knopper, F. and Saint-Gille, A.-M. (eds.) Pouvoir civil, pouvoir militaire en Allemagne. Aspects politiques, sociaux et culturels. History and Civilization. Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France: Presses du Septentrion. pp. 33-48. ISBN 9782757405871.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Zimmerer, J. (ed.) Kein Platz an der Sonne: Erinnerungsorte der deutschen Kolonialgeschichte. Frankfurt, Germany: Campus. pp. 373-386. ISBN 9783593398112.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Cahn, J.P. and Martens, S. and Wegner, B. (eds.) Le Troisième Reich dans l’historiographie allemande: Lieux de pouvoir – rivalités de pouvoirs. History and Civilization. Villeneuve d'Ascq cedex, France: Septentrion. pp. 115-130. ISBN 9782757405819.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Colin, N. and Defrance, C. and Pfeil, U. and Umlauf, J. (eds.) Lexikon der deutsch-französischen Kulturbeziehungen nach 1945. Tübingen, Germany: Narr Verlag. pp. 261-263. ISBN 9783823366935.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Comor, A.-P. (ed.) La Légion étrangère: Histoire et Dictionnaire. Bouquins La Collection. Editions Robert Laffont. pp. 94-97. ISBN 9782221136744.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Comor, A.-P. (ed.) La Légion étrangère: Histoire et Dictionnaire. Bouquins La Collection. Editions Robert Laffont. pp. 781-783. ISBN 9782221136744.
    • Michels, Eckard (2013) . In: Comor, A.-P. (ed.) La Légion étrangère: Histoire et Dictionnaire. Bouquins La Collection. Editions Robert Laffont. pp. 955-956. ISBN 9782221136744.
    • Michels, Eckard (2012) . In: Grunewald, M. and Lüsebrink, H.-J. and Marcowitz, R. and Puschner, U. (eds.) France-Allemagne au XXe siècle: la production de savoir sur l’Autre: Les spécialistes universitaires de l’Allemagne et de la France. Convergences. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. pp. 81-94. ISBN 9783034312035.
    • Michels, Eckard (2012) . In: Pfeil, U. (ed.) Mythes et tabous des relations franco-allemandes au XX e siècle. Convergences. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. pp. 127-140. ISBN 9783034305921.
    • Michels, Eckard (2011) . In: Bührer, T. and Stachelbeck, C. and Walter, D. (eds.) Imperialkriege von 1500 bis heute. Strukturen – Akteure – Lernprozesse. Paderborn, Germany: Ferdinand Schöningh. pp. 401-416. ISBN 9783506773371.
    • Michels, Eckard (2011) . In: Bajohr, F. and Strupp, C. (eds.) Fremde Bilcke auf das "Dritte Reich". Berichte ausländischer Diplomaten über Herrschaft und Gesellschaft in Deutschland 1933-1945. Göttingen, Germany: Wallstein Verlag. pp. 32-68. ISBN 9783835308701.
    • Michels, Eckard (2011) . In: Bade, K.J. and Emmer, P.C. and Lucassen, L. and Oltmer, J. (eds.) The Encyclopedia of Migration and Minorities in Europe: From the 17th Century to the Present. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 450-452. ISBN 9780521895866.
    • Michels, Eckard (2010) . In: Lutz, K.-H. and Rink, M. and von Salisch, M. (eds.) Reform, Reorganisation, Transformation. Zum Wandel in deutschen Streitkräften von den preußischen Heeresreformen bis zur Transformation der Bundeswehr. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. pp. 199-212. ISBN 9783486852769.
    • Michels, Eckard (2010) . In: Langenfeld, C. and Oltmer, J. and Lucassen, L. and Bade, K.J. and Emmer, P.C. (eds.) Enzyklopädie Migration in Europa. Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart. Paderborn, Germany: Schöningh. ISBN 9783506756329.
    • Michels, Eckard (2007) . In: Pfeil, U. (ed.) Deutsch-französische Kultur- und Wissenschaftsbeziehungen im 20. Jahrhundert: Ein institutionengeschichtlicher Ansatz. Pariser historische Studien. Munich, Germany: Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. pp. 181-195. ISBN 9783486842326.
    • Michels, Eckard (2007) . In: Göktük, D. and Gramling, D. and Kaes, A. (eds.) Germany in Transit: Nation and Migration 1955-2005. San Francisco, U.S.: University of California Press. pp. 273-277. ISBN 9780520248946.
    • Michels, Eckard (2007) . In: Benz, W. and Graml, H. and Weiss, H. (eds.) Enzyklopädie des Nationalsozialismus, 5th revised and expanded edition. Munich, Germany: DTV. pp. 462-463. ISBN 9783423344081.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . In: Epkenhans, M. and Förster, S. and Hagemann, K. (eds.) Militärische Erinnerungskultur. Soldaten im Spiegel von Biographien, Memoiren und Selbstzeugnissen. Paderborn, Germany: Ferdinand Schöningh. pp. 152-168. ISBN 9783506756800.
    • Michels, Eckard (2005) . In: Paulmann, J. (ed.) Auswärtige Repräsentationen: Deutsche Kulturdiplomatie nach 1945. Cologne, Germany: Böhlau. pp. 241-258. ISBN 9783412120054.
    • Michels, Eckard (2002) . In: Alexander, M.S. and Evans, M. and Keiger, J. (eds.) The Algerian War and the French Army 1954-1962: Experiences, Images, Testimonies. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave. pp. 88-100. ISBN 9780333774564.
    • Michels, Eckard (2001) . In: Goethe-Institut, None (ed.) Murnau, Manila, Minsk: 50 Jahre Goethe-Institut. Munich, Germany: Beck. pp. 13-23. ISBN 9783406475344.
    • Michels, Eckard (2000) . In: Martens, S. and Vaisse, M. (eds.) Frankreich und Deutschland im Krieg (November 1942 – Herbst 1944): Okkupation, Kollaboration, Résistance. Pariser historische Studien. Bonn, Germany: Bouvier. pp. 145-161. ISBN 9783416029087.
    • Michels, Eckard (1998) . In: Benz, W. and Otto, G. and Weismann, A. (eds.) Kultur-Propaganda-Öffentlichkeit. Intentionen deutscher Besatzungspolitik und Reaktionen auf die Okkupation. Nationalsozialistische Besatzungspolitik in Europa 1939-1945. Berlin, Germany: Metropol. pp. 11-33. ISBN 9783932482052.
    • Michels, Eckard (1995) . In: Wegner, B. (ed.) Politischer Wandel, organisierte Gewalt und nationale Sicherheit. Beiträge zur Militärgeschichte. Munich, Germany: Oldenbourg. pp. 447-462. ISBN 9783486594782.

    Other

    • Michels, Eckard (2021) . Internet portal Rheinische Geschichte.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . Das Historische Lexikon Bayerns.
    • Michels, Eckard (2006) . Das Historische Lexikon Bayerns.
  • Business and community

    Business and community

    Outreach

    "Machtwas!?!" podcast hosted by Michael Siegler on the French foreign legion (September 2021)

    Radio interview for the Deutschlandradio Kultur programme Eine Stunde History in April 2024 on about the Guillaume affair in 1974

    Interview for a three part TV documentary on the Fremch Foreign Legion 2024 by the programme ZDF NEO

    Interview for the Radio Berlin Brandenburg programme ³Õ¾±²õ-à-³Õ¾±²õÌý24 March 2021 on the French Foreign Legion

    Radio Interview on Deutschland Radio Kultur 28 April 2021 on the recent protest letter of 21 retired French generals against immigration and the alleged Islamization of France

    10 March 2021 interview for Deutschlandradio Kultur programme Kalenderblatt on the the 190th anniversary of the foundation of the French Foreign Legion

    Interview for the May 2021 issue of the Freiburg journal Chilli on the Spanish Influenza

    Interview for the Zeit Magazin issue of 9 December 2020 on the Spanish Influenza

    Interview for the journal Wirtschaftswoche of 5 February 2021 about the economic impact of the Spanish influenza on the German economy in the 1920s

    Inteview for the Deutschland Radio Kultur programme Eine Stunde History on 26 April 2020 on the German military intervention in China in 1900/1901Ìý

    Interview for the newspaper Schleswig-Holstein am Wochenende issue of 11 April 2020 on the Spanish Influenza

    Interview in the 4 March 2020 issue of the journal Wirtschaftswoche about the Spanish Influenza in comparison to the Covid-19 pandemicÌý

    Interview for the 20 March 2020 issue of the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel on the Spanish Influanza