Auf Messers Schneide: das Jahr 1929

The year 1929 is a turning point. Until October of that year, people are unaware of Black Friday, which will be followed by an economic depression lasting until 1934. The prolonged economic crisis is one of the reasons for Hitler's rise to power. In 1929, the National Socialist Party's share of the vote in Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is still below four per cent. The year begins with the longest cold spell in 120 years. In Berlin and the Harz Mountains, temperatures remain below minus 30 degrees for three months. Those who do not have enough heating fuel freeze miserably. May begins with bloody street battles. In Hamburg, dockworkers died while loading poison gas from the First World War onto ships bound for the Red Army. 1929 was the year of birth of philosopher Jürgen Habermas, writer H. M. Enzensberger, and character actor Alfred Edel, known for his grotesque roles in Schlingensief and Kluge. (C.S.)