The Eulenburg Affair: Germany's First Gay Scandal

In 1907, a series of sensational trials shook the German Empire to its core, exposing an intimate circle of men around Kaiser Wilhelm II accused of homosexuality. Known as the Eulenburg Affair, this scandal involved princes, generals, and the Kaiser's closest confidant, Prince Philipp zu Eulenburg. It was driven by the journalist Maximilian Harden, who used the accusations to attack the Chancellor and push a more aggressive foreign policy. The trials revealed not only the private lives of the elite but also the deep-seated homophobia and political maneuvering of Wilhelmine Germany. Lucas and Luna explore how the affair unfolded, the role of Paragraph 175 (the law criminalizing homosexuality), the fate of the accused, and the lasting impact on German society and the course of World War I. This episode dives into a forgotten chapter that foreshadowed the Nazis' later persecution of gay men. #EulenburgAffair #PhilippzuEulenburg #MaximilianHarden #Paragraph175 #WilhelmII #GermanEmpire #LGBTQHistory #HardenEulenburgTrials #KunzMoltke #WilhelmineGermany #HomosexualityHistory #Scandal #WorldWarI #ImperialGermany #History #FexingoHistory #20thCentury #PoliticalScandal Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo