The chancellors and the intellectuals
From the very beginning, the relationship between intellectual life and political power in the Federal Republic of Germany has been marked by tension. In his new book, 'The chancellors and the intellectuals', Peter-André Alt offers the first systematic examination of the relationships between Germany’s federal chancellors and the influential intellectual voices of their respective eras – from Konrad Adenauer to Olaf Scholz.
“When intellectual thought is capable of influencing power, it simultaneously runs the risk of having its freedom curtailed by that very power. There is never a balanced relationship between the two spheres: neither when Brecht’s hope that intellectuals might unsettle those in power proves illusory, nor when intellectuals, by drawing closer to those who govern, risk being corrupted by them. This uneasy relationship, harmonious only in rare moments, will be traced here through the history of the Federal Republic and examined through the lens of its chancellors.”
From the introduction to 'The chancellors and the intellectuals', Peter-André Alt’s latest book.
The book was published by C.H.Beck on 20 August 2026.
For anyone interested in the “history of the uneasy relationship” between intellectual life and political power: On 28 September 2026, Peter-André Alt will present his book at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities on Gendarmenmarkt, where he will discuss it with historian Norbert Frei. The evening will be moderated by Anna-Lena Scholz (DIE ZEIT).