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Portal – Two 2025: “Democracy”

Democracies are on the decline worldwide. Almost three-quarters of all people currently live in authoritarian societies, and the number is growing. For this issue, we spoke with experts about the possible reasons for this and asked them what we can do to ensure that we not lose our rights to freedom of expression, to the full development of our personalities, or to equality before the law.

Editorial

  • Here you can find the current issue of the university magazine as a PDF file: Portal – Zwei 2025: „Demokratie“  (in German)
  • Below you can find the individual articles as news articles. The page will be updated continuously.

Cover story “Democracy”

Detail
Digital drawing with simple lines and colours: view of a crowd of people. All but one person in the middle are wearing simple white masks. She is whispering behind her hand. Many seem to be listening to her.
Image: Andreas Töpfer

“We Must Actively Defend Our Democracy”

Why the political structure of our country is both able to defend itself and vulnerable

Detail
Symbolic image: An illustrated white sheep in profile. In the lower half of the sheep's body, you can also see a black wolf sharing part of its body with the sheep.
Image: Andreas Töpfer

“It Is About Profit at the Expense of Our Democracy”

Josephine Ballon is a graduate of the University of Potsdam and CEO of the non-profit organization HateAid

Detail
Symbolic picture: Megaphone held aloft by a hand, speech bubbles with hearts coming out of it.
Image: AdobeStock/BillionPhotos

Genuine Participation or a Danger to Our Democracy?

The business information systems experts Stefan Stieglitz and Annika Baumann speak about the chances of social media

Detail
Symbolic image: The bust of a person with orange complexion and a striking blow-dried men's hairstyle forms a long nose, comparable to the character Pinocchio. A person is sawing at this wooden nose with a saw. Various parts of the nose have already been removed and lie on the ground like logs.
Photo: Andreas Töpfer

“It Is a Race Against the Dark Forces”

How Social Media platforms threaten our democracy

Detail
Symbolic image: Two outstretched hands that almost touch. Similar to Michelangelo's “Creation of Adam.”
Photo: AdobeStock/The Thunks

The Power of Encounter

How our behavior can strengthen democracy

Detail
Black-and-white illustration of young people standing in a circle and talking. Colorful confetti lies on their shoulders and on the floor. They have cleaning supplies such as vacuum cleaners, brooms, and trash bags with them.
Image: Andreas Töpfer

“Cool Committee Work Attracts More People”

How democratic politicization works among students

Research

Detail
A section of a yellowed sheet of paper with handwritten text and a coloured drawing. It dates back to the Middle Ages.
Photo: Depositum Musée Bartholdi

Verse Novellas

Medieval, rhyming, and worth listening to

https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/headlines-and-featured-stories/page?tx_news_pi1%5BoverwriteDemand%5D%5Bcategories%5D=15&cHash=055c95af291cb75485c743d32dba3335
Symbolic image of research with stylized laboratory flask and bar chart
Photo: AdobeStock/Icons-Studio

Research

Further articles on the topic of research at the University of Potsdam can be found here.

Society

Detail
Photo: Kevin Ryl

“I Didn’t Study Law Just for the Rich and Beautiful“

Lawyer Christian Schertz on his Standards and the „TikTok Generation“

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