The Eulenburg Affair: Scandal That Shook Bismarck's Germany

In the late 1880s, Germany was rocked by a series of trials that exposed a circle of powerful men accused of homosexuality and treason. The Eulenburg Affair, named after Prince Philipp zu Eulenburg, a close friend of Kaiser Wilhelm II, became a media sensation that dragged the monarchy, the military, and Bismarck's legacy through the mud. Lucas and Luna dig into the key figures: Maximilian Harden, the journalist who brought the accusations; General Kuno von Moltke, whose divorce trial ignited the scandal; and Eulenburg himself, whose trial for perjury ended without conviction but destroyed his reputation. They explore how the affair was weaponized against the Kaiser's inner circle by rivals hoping to curb his influence, and how it reflected deeper anxieties about modernity, masculinity, and homosexuality in Wilhelmine Germany. The conversation touches on the use of Paragraph 175, the anti-sodomy law, the role of the press, and the lasting impact on German politics and culture. This is a story of personal vendettas, political intrigue, and a society confronting its own taboos. #EulenburgAffair #PhilippzuEulenburg #MaximilianHarden #KunovonMoltke #KaiserWilhelmII #Bismarck #Paragraph175 #WilhelmineGermany #HomosexualityHistory #PressHistory #Scandal #GermanEmpire #19thCentury #Modernity #Masculinity #LiebenbergCircle #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo