Thomas Kunze

Thomas Kunze ( born February 23, 1963 in Leipzig ) is a German historian and publicist.

Life

Kunze studied in Jena and Leipzig history, German literature and pedagogy. He received his doctorate in 1991 as PhD. and has honorary professorships at the Präsidialakademie in Tashkent and the National Al- Chorezmi University in Urgench (Uzbekistan ). He is Ambassador for Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia of the International Institute of Political Murder.

After the " turn" in East Germany Thomas Kunze led until 1995, the Immigration Office in the district of Leipzig. From 1995 to 2000 he worked as a guest teacher in Romania. He wrote the first thorough biography of the Romanian state and party leader Nicolae Ceauşescu, which was translated into Romanian and is regarded as the standard work on the history of communism in Romania .. 2009, the historic trial of the Ceausescu, which led to their execution in 1989, under and brought in Romania, Germany and Switzerland to the stage, directed by Milo Rau as a play re-enacts ( Thomas Kunze specialist advice). 2010 followed the film to play.

2001 biography appeared president aD: The last years of Erich Honecker. ( Leipzig People's Daily ): " a showpiece of recent German history ."

Kunze has been with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation since 2002 and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia expert. He headed the Moscow office of the Foundation ( 2005 to 2007), the Europe / North America division of the Foundation Center (2007-2010) and since 2010 for the second time and authorized representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Central Asia ( based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan). He is regarded as a proponent of a stronger German - Russian cooperation and advocates, inter alia, for the lifting of visa barriers between the EU and Russia. Kunze is a member of the CDU.

In addition to travelogues and guidebooks in which Kunze focused mainly on the history and culture of Romania, Hungary and Turkey, he has published numerous articles and policy analysis to the development of countries of Central Asia, eastern Europe and Russia. 2008 monograph appeared "Russia's underworld ". 2010, the band (ed. with Thomas Vogel) appeared " nostalgia international" and in 2011, with Thomas Vogel, the book " From the Soviet Union to independence. " In the anthology " Twenty-one. Century threats - century opportunities, " he invited well-known authors from different regions of the world to think from different angles such as security, energy, demography and geopolitics over the career of the 21st century.

Kunze was criticized by the taz, not sufficient to procure for his work for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Uzbekistan human rights issues such as the massacre at Andijon hearing.

Awards

• 2011: Saxon Constitutional Medal

Works

• ( with Ute Walbe - Kunze ) Romania. Guide. Gold City Pforzheim in 1999, ISBN 3-89550-034-8, 2nd revised edition, 2002.
• ( with Ute Walbe - Kunze ) Istanbul and tours of the area. Gold City Pforzheim in 1999, ISBN 3-89550-217-0; 2nd edition 2002.
• Nicolae Ceausescu: A Biography. Links, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86153-211-5; Third, revised edition 2009, ISBN 978-3-86153-562-1.
• Head of state A.D. The last years of Erich Honecker. Links, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-86153-247-6; Second, revised edition 2012, ISBN 978-3-86153-698-7.
• Honecker's escape. Film ( ARD / MDR) by Thomas Grimm, Thomas Kunze ( staff writer), 2002.
• ( with Ute Walbe - Kunze ) Hungary: city guide Budapest, Balaton, traveling through Hungary. Geology and geography, climate and travel time, historical overview. Gold City Pforzheim in 2007, ISBN 978-3-89550-035-0.
• Russia's underworld. A journey through a secret bunker and forgotten tunnels. Links, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86153-490-7.
• Secret Bunker - Forgotten tunnel. Russia's underworld. Weltbild Verlag, 2010 ISBN 978-3-82890-919-9
• (edited with Thomas Vogel ) nostalgia internationally. Memories of the GDR from Nicaragua to Vietnam. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-600-0.
• (edited with Wolfgang Maier ) Twenty-one: Century dangers - century opportunities. Salmuth & Finckenstein, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-934882-21-8.
• ( with Thomas Vogel ) from the Soviet Union to independence: A journey through the 15 former Soviet republics, Christoph Links Verlag, Berlin, 2011, ISBN 978-3-86153-644-4.
• (edited with Thomas Vogel ) Oh you, beloved leader. Personality cult in the 20th and 21st centuries. Ch Links, Berlin, 2013, ISBN 978-3-86153-734-2.