In this first installment of a three-part series, Michelle (@shhellgames) and Ted (@ted_knudsen) guide us through the messy months in 1989 and 1990 that resulted in the unified Germany that we know today, and pose the question: Was it really a unification, or rather an annexation? Stay tuned for part two of this series, where we'll hear from someone who experienced this moment in history firsthand. Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann).  Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.  To read up on some of the finer details discussed in this episode, check out these links:  - East Germany's Shock Therapy: An interview with Christa Luft by Max Trecker in Jacobin  - The Economic Anschluss of the GDR by Rachel Knaebel and Pierre Rimbert in Le Monde Diplomatique 

The first episode of Spaßbremse is here, and Michelle (@shhellgames) and Ted (@ted_knudsen) are discussing Hartz IV—aka Arbeitslosengeld II—the controversial reforms to unemployment benefits introduced by Gerhard Schröder's SPD-Green coalition government in the early 2000s. Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.  To learn more about Hartz IV, here are some links to articles and studies cited in this episode:  -German Deunificaton: An interview with Ingar Solty by Darko Vujica in the Monthly Review -The Low Wage Sector in Germany is Larger than Previously Assumed by Markus M. Grabka and Carsten Schröder for the German Institute for Economic Research -Which is worse? by Adam Tooze in the London Review of Books

Hosts Michelle and Ted tell us about what to expect on Spaßbremse, including a fair share of gripes about how Germany is portrayed in English-language media.  Music by Lee Rosevere.