Event Calendar

"It is a terrible spectacle when the irrational becomes popular," said Thomas Mann, German writer and Nobel laureate, in his famous speech at the Library of Congress in 1943.

This speech, given over 75 years ago, is as relevant now as ever, as we witness the fundamental values of democracy being called into question, as war, populism and nationalism put our democratic societies under massive pressure.

Intellectuals, scientists, and artists bear a special responsibility in a democracy. Their observations, counter-designs, exaggerations, and warnings are an indispensable part of the social debate.

Thomas Mann: Democracy Will Win!
is intended as a concrete contribution to the current debate on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first part of the exhibit presents Thomas Mann's political biography:
It shows Thomas Mann’s development from monarchist to powerful opponent of National Socialism and committed fighter for democracy. Photographs, texts, excerpts from the famous radio addresses "To the German Listeners!" and original exhibits trace his intellectual, political, and spatial paths.

The second, multimedia part of the exhibit connects this history to the present.
What makes a political person?
How does one become a supporter of democracy?
How does one defend one's stance?
Examples from the recent past, films and interviews, tweets, and quotes from personalities from politics, pop, literature and society - such as Greta Thunberg or Saša Stanišić, Donald Trump or Barack Obama, Igor Levit or Edward Snowden - illustrate the importance of the question: How can we defend and sustainably strengthen democracy as the only possible form of society? This is a task that is more important than ever today, in times of global migration, climate change, and new pandemics.

The terms Beginnings, Zeitgeist, Affirmation, Taking Action, and Responsibility structure the exhibition … and show the ambivalences that even a democratic system cannot eliminate.

Accompanying this exhibition is a wide-ranging program of events that asks which spaces a democracy needs to function, what endangers it, and how our view of the role of architecture in democratic culture has changed in recent decades. DEMOCRACY WILL WIN!

Thank you very much to the Goethe Institut and The Thomas Mann House for making it possible for us to bring the exhibit to Atlanta.
The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles aims to create a vibrant transatlantic space for debate, where outstanding personalities, in dialogue with each other and the host country, address fundamental contemporary and future issues related to politics, society, and culture.

An exhibition by Literaturhaus München and Thomas Mann House in co-operation with Goethe-Institut Boston, realized with the generous support by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Opening Hours
Thursday & Friday 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Saturday 10:00AM - 4:00PM
or any time with appointment.
Please contact us for group visits.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
THE MACHINERY OF DEMOCRACY - HOW TO SAVE THE WE IN WE THE PEOPLE
January 11, 2023; 7:00-8:30PM
View details through the link below.

Visit our event calendar often for more.