Former Fellow

Christopher Clark

Professor of Modern European History, Cambridge University

Research project:
“Europe and the Beginning of World War I”

Over a long period of time, research has intensively explored the question of the extent to which the political and intellectual climate of the German Empire bore particular responsibility for the escalation of the military conflict and the outbreak of the First World War, or even sought to bring it about. In public events and academic colloquia in Frankfurt and Bad Homburg, Christopher Clark discusses the current state of the debate on the interplay between mentalities and the short-lived consequences of events against the background of his own research findings.

Events:

May 22 – 23, 2014
International conference
Europa 1914. Der Weg ins Unbekannte
With Prof. Dr. Christopher Clark (Cambdrige Unviversity) and others
Location: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften in Bad Homburg v. d. H.
Organizer: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main – Chair of Modern History in cooperation with the Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders”, the Historical College in the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften and other partners

May 26, 2014, 7 pm
Frankfurter Stadtgespräch XV
Who started it? The Sense and Nonsense of Historical Attributions of Guilt
Prof. Dr. Christopher Clark (Cambridge University) in conversation with Prof. Dr. Christoph Cornelißen (Associate Member of the Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders” and Professor of Modern History, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Klaus Günther (Co-Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders” and Professor of Legal Theory, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main)
Location: Historisches Museum Frankfurt am Main
Organizer: Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders” with the Cultural Office of the City of Frankfurt am Main

29 May 2014, 6 p.m.
Lecture as part of the centenary celebrations of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Prof. Dr. Christopher Clark (Cambridge University)
Wilhelminian Germany and the University of Frankfurt: The Context of the War Year
Location: Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Westend Campus, HZ 1
Organizer: Cluster of Excellence “The Formation of Normative Orders”

  • Biografische Angaben

    Christopher Clark is a joint Fellow of the Cluster of Excellence "The Formation of Normative Orders" and the Historical College at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Clark was already a Fellow at the Forschungskolleg in Bad Homburg in 2009 at the invitation of the Cluster of Excellence. Christopher Clark is Professor of Modern European History at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. One of his main areas of research is the history of Prussia. Born in Australia, he is the author of a biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was awarded the Wolfson Prize in 2007 for his book "Prussia" and in 2010 was the first non-German-speaking historian to receive the Historisches Kolleg München Prize, known as the "German Historians' Prize". For his most recent work "Die Schlafwandler. Wie Europa in den Ersten Weltkrieg zog", Clark received the Bruno Kreisky Prize for the Political Book in spring 2014.
  • Publikationen

    The Sleepwalkers. How Europe went to War in 1914, Allen Lane, London u. a. 2012 (dt.: Die Schlafwandler. Wie Europa in den Ersten Weltkrieg zog, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2013). Kaiser Wilhelm II. A life in power, Penguin, London 2009. Kaiser Wilhelm II, Longman, Harlow u. a. 2000 (dt.: Wilhelm II. Die Herrschaft des letzten deutschen Kaisers. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2008). Iron Kingdom. The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947, Allen Lane, London u. a. 2006 (dt.: Preußen. Aufstieg und Niedergang. 1600–1947, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2007). The politics of conversion. Missionary Protestantism and the Jews in Prussia, 1728–1941, Clarendon Press, Oxford u. a. 1995.

News from the research center

Publication
15.07.2026 | Monograph

Das Recht der Gewalt. Warum Waffen allein keinen Frieden schaffen

Simon, Hendrik (2026): Das Recht der Gewalt. Warum Waffen allein keinen Frieden schaffen. Ditzingen: Reclam.

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News
19.06.2026

International symposium honours the lifework of Jürgen Habermas

On Friday 19 June 2026, the Research Centre Normative Orders, in collaboration with Suhrkamp Verlag, paid tribute to the late Jürgen Habermas with an international symposium at Goethe University Frankfurt.

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News
18.05.2026

Videopodcast-Reihe „Our Planet, Our Health“ gestartet

Mit „Our Planet, Our Health“ startet eine neue Videopodcast-Reihe zu Fragen globaler Gesundheitsgerechtigkeit. Die Reihe, gehostet von Dr. Romina Rekers, ist eine Initiative des Global Health Justice Postdoctoral Programme (GHJ), gefördert von der Höppschen Stiftung.

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Publication
12.05.2026 | Online article

Disinhibited Informalization: Talk Radio, Bro Podcasts and the Aesthetics of Populism

Völz, Johannes (2026): "Disinhibited Informalization: Talk Radio, Bro Podcasts and the Aesthetics of Populism". In: b2o - boundary 2 online.

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Publication
22.04.2026 | Chapter

Körpergeschlecht und Selbstbestimmung

Britz, Gabriele (2026): "Körpergeschlecht und Selbstbestimmung". In. Mangold, Anna Katharina; Völzmann, Berit (Hrsg.): Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft, Nomos, S. 41-48.

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Publication
22.04.2026 | Chapter

Festrede zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ute Sacksofsky, M.P.A. (Harvard), 4. April 2025

Schmidt, Rebecca Caroline; Forst, Rainer; Günther, Klaus (2026): "Festrede zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ute Sacksofsky, M.P.A. (Harvard), 4. April 2025". In: Mangold, Anna Katharina; Völzmann, Berit (Hrsg.): Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft, Nomos, S. 13-18.

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Publication
22.04.2026 | Anthology

Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft: Kontinuität und Wandel in intergenerationeller Betrachtung

Mangold, Anna Katharina; Völzmann, Berit (Hrsg.) (2026): "Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft: Kontinuität und Wandel in intergenerationeller Betrachtung". Nomos.

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Publication
11.03.2026 | Chapter

Von Poujade über Berlusconi zu Trump. Eine Genealogie des libertären Patrimonialismus

Biebricher, Thomas (2026): „Von Poujade über Berlusconi zu Trump. Eine Genealogie des libertären Patrimonialismus“. In: Geiselberger, Heinrich (Hrsg.): Oben rechts. Rechtspopulismus als Klassenprojekt, Suhrkamp, S. 103-144.

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