For the first time, a book tells the story of John F. Kennedy's spectacular visit to Berlin in 1963. It solves the riddle of why Kennedy uttered Ich bin ein Berliner and explains why the Germans venerated the American President more than anyone else after Adolf Hitler. Andreas W. Daum digs deep into the history of the Cold War era and traces the changes in German-American relations. He argues that we cannot understand diplomacy and international relations without taking into account emotions, mass approval, and symbolic actions.
Contents
Introduction; 1. The emerging plot; 2. The script and the staging; 3. Dramatic climax; 4. After the final curtain; 5. The show goes on; 6. 'A comet of promise passing through our country'; Appendix: Ich bin ein Berliner: John F. Kennedy's speech at Schoneberg City Hall, June 26, 1963; Bibliography.
Reviews
"Andreas W. Daum's study not only fills a gap in the historiography of German-American relations, but also constitutes a methodological innovation, for it is far more than just a history of John F. Kennedy’s legendary visit to Berlin. Although American scholars developed the notion of a cultural interpretation of politics, until now a cultural history of state visits was lacking and Daum convincingly shows how it is done… his research is both convincing and a pleasure to read. The book’s narrative style is fresh and unpretentious and Daum succeeds in giving his story the analytical depth that is needed. This is going to be the classic study of Kennedy’s visit to Berlin."
- Norbert Finzsch, Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Anglo-American History, University of Cologne
"Kennedy in Berlin places one of the twentieth century's most dramatic state visits into a wonderfully woven context of taut military confrontation, sensitive alliance politics, bitter personal rivalries, transatlantic mass culture, and emotionally charged political theater, all converging in the Cold War's most crucial arena. Skillfully researched and absorbingly composed, it is a model for how international history should now be written."
-Norman J.W. Goda, author of Tales from Spandau: Nazi Criminals and the Cold War
"Kennedy in Berlin is a remarkable book about a remarkable moment in 20th century history. John Kennedy's trip to Berlin was defining moment in the history of the Cold War, but as Daum writes, it was also an extraordinary moment in transatlantic relations, symbolic politics at its best. Daum's approach to this event is innovative and highly original, and provides a clear insight into how a transnational community of interests was forged between the United States and Germany. With the recent fraying of those ties, this book becomes even more timely and important." -Thomas A. Schwartz, Vanderbilt University
"Methodologically innovative and theoretically grounded..." -Frank Schumacher, H-GAGCS
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