Plot: In the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the world is threatened by the possibility of a Third World War fought with nuclear arms. Meanwhile, in the Federal Republic of Germany, two charismatic power seekers, Strauß, Secretary of defense, and Augstein, editor-in-chief at high-profile news magazine Der Spiegel, fight a fierce feud: Strauß demands nuclear deterrence to prevent the next war on German ground while Augstein sees any arms race as leading directly to the next warfare catastrophe. In "Die Spiegel-Affäre" contrary political beliefs collide regardless of a shared goal: Never live through another war. It becomes a fight for democracy, morals and ethics in politics as well as the position of the press as the fourth pillar of the state; a fight between two relentless political alpha leaders. The end of the affair marks the end of the Adenauer era and is celebrated as a victory of the freedom of press and the young democracy over the old structures of authority.
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