Disappointment and expectation in democracy: An interdisciplinary discussion

Three and a half decades after the end of the Cold War, many certainties have been shaken. Democracy, the apparent victor in the conflict between the two systems, is undergoing a profound crisis. Hostility from within and without is growing; some predict the demise of the liberal order. This interdisciplinary panel discussion will examine the reasons for this crisis and ways of making democracy at the national and European level more resilient in the stormy times we are currently experiencing. The debate will focus in particular on the significance of exaggerated expectations and disappointed hopes. Has the state promised too much? (How) Is the much-vaunted reduction of bureaucracy possible? And does Western democracy still have the capacity for self-correction that is considered one of its essential characteristics and is urgently expected by many people today?

Participants

Pascale Cancik is Professor of Public Law, History of European Public Law, and Administrative Sciences at the University of Osnabrück.

Kiran Klaus Patel is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, where he also heads the Project House Europe.

Frank Schorkopf is Professor of Public Law and European Law at Georg August University in Göttingen.

Andreas Wirsching was Director of the Institute for Contemporary History Munich/Berlin and Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich until October 2025.

All participants in the panel discussion are members of the Working Group for Legal Studies and Contemporary History at the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz.

Moderator: Kiran Klaus Patel

Musical accompaniment: Nadiia Zhurba

The event is part of the ›Aldous Huxley Future Forum‹ series.

Admission is free. Registration is required here.

Invitation flyer