Today is day 175 of my exile.
Exile 175.
Nineteen seventy-five.
The year is marked by cautious détente and simultaneous global realignment. In Europe, the Helsinki Final Act enters into force, an attempt to stabilize tensions between East and West through the recognition of borders and human rights. The conference is not an endpoint, but an expression of a balance that has emerged from deterrence, economic interests, and diplomatic pragmatism.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, Helmut Schmidt is confirmed in office following the Guillaume affair the previous year and shapes a policy of security-driven pragmatism. The RAF continues its violence, intensifying internal conflict and influencing security legislation. Economically, the oil crisis remains palpable; inflation and unemployment demand political responses that seek a balance between stability and social equity.
In the GDR, Erich Honecker consolidates his position. At the Eighth Party Congress of the SED, the course of unity between economic and social policy is reaffirmed, while dependence on Soviet raw materials and loans continues to grow. The expatriation of critical voices begins to emerge as a tool of state control, as everyday life for many people unfolds between conformity and quiet distance.
Internationally, the Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon. In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge take power; in the Middle East, the situation remains fragile after the Yom Kippur War. Power politics, ideological divisions, and economic interests intertwine, and as so often, it becomes clear that major conflicts arise from many individual decisions.
The world holds its breath as it tries to bring order to a restless era.
Exile 175.
History rarely moves in a straight line, yet it leaves its mark on every state.
Exile Chronicle
All previous (from 130 – earlier entries are on X/Twitter) and ongoing entries of my Exile Chronicle are collected and documented here:
👉 https://marlas.army/exil-chronik/
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