Listening and speaking during the war. Everyday communication under National Socialism 1939-1945

What the SD perceived as a problem forms the starting point for Felix Berge’s book *Hören und Sprechen im Krieg* (2025). Drawing on a wide range of sources, he examines everyday communication in German society during World War II as a process of gathering, assimilating, and disseminating information.

• How did people communicate under the conditions of Nazi rule? How did communication change during the war, as trust in the media crumbled and the truth came under attack from all sides?

Informal communication helped structure society during the crisis, gave individuals a sense of autonomy, and served as a means of survival. Those who knew more held an advantage. Yet Germans also voiced fears and spoke of violence; they discussed crimes and the Holocaust. The Nazi regime not only combated this “spreading of rumors,” but also utilized informal communication itself in “word-of-mouth propaganda.”

The presentation of the book by Felix Berge will be followed by a commentary by Andrea Riedle (Topography of Terror). The subsequent discussion will be moderated by Dierk Hoffmann (Institute of Contemporary History Munich–Berlin, starting in March).

Admission is free. Registration is not required.

The event will be livestreamed at www.topographie.de/livestream and will be available for 14 days afterward. Additionally, a podcast of the event will be made available for listening afterward.

A joint event organized by the Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation, the Institute for Contemporary History Munich–Berlin, and the Topography of Terror Documentation Center.

IN GERMAN