Right-wing historian Ernst Nolte receives the Konrad Adenauer Prize for Science

By Stefan Steinberg
17 August 2000

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/aug2000/nolt-a17.shtml

In Munich on June 4 right-wing historian Ernst Nolte, the main figure in the “Historians debate” of 1986, was awarded the Konrad Adenauer prize from the Germany Institute. The latter was set up in 1966 and has close links to the right-wing of Germany’s Christian Democratic Party (CDU.)

The prize was handed over to Nolte by Horst Möller, the director of the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich, which has traditionally had a good reputation as a centre of serious historical research. Möller fulsomely praised Nolte’s contribution to historical studies, while at the same time attempting to distance himself somewhat from Nolte’s most controversial theses.

Hessian culture minister calls for creationism to be discussed in German schools

By Stefan Steinberg
17 July 2007

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/jul2007/crea-j17.shtml

In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) at the end of June, the Hessian culture minister, Karin Wolff, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), called for the integration of the biblical version of creation into “modern biology instruction.” According to Wolff, sciences such as biology had to recognise their limitations and a debate over the biblical account of creation in biology lessons offered the chance for a “new coming together of natural science and religion.”

Wolff’s comments came as a response to a report by the culture committee of the Council of Europe, “The dangers of creationism in education,” which pointed to a deliberate campaign by religious and right-wing political forces to encourage the teaching of creationism in European schools. The Council’s resolution warned that creationist theories aimed to replace “democracy with a theocracy,” and called upon European nations to restrict discussion over creationism to the teaching of religious studies. The report was rejected by a majority of the European Council, dominated by conservative parties.