Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler Character Analysis in Stasiland

The chief propagandist for East Germany, Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler’s duties involved providing live commentary for the TV programs of West Germany, on a station informally known as “the Black Channel.” For decades, he was secretly despised throughout East Germany, in part because he ruined some of the only good TV entertainment that East Germans could access. Near the end of his life, he speaks to Anna Funder about the current state of Germany, and condemns capitalism for destroying his beloved country.

Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler Quotes in Stasiland

The Stasiland quotes below are all either spoken by Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler or refer to Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Authoritarianism and the East German State Theme Icon

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Harper Perennial edition of Stasiland published in 2011.

And when we started to get tied up in this ridiculous GDR success propaganda—exaggerated harvest results and production levels and so on—I withdrew from that altogether and confined myself to my specialist area: the work against imperialism.

Related Characters: (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 135

Explanation and Analysis:

Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler Character Timeline in Stasiland

The timeline below shows where the character Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler appears in Stasiland. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...named Hagen Koch, who the TV station interviewed recently. Uwe also mentions a man named Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler , the chief propagandist for East Germany, who Funder might speak with. (full context)

In the following days Funder familiarizes herself with von Schnitzler ’s TV program, “The Black Channel,” first broadcast in 1960. In the years leading up... (full context)

...“multimedia center.” Inside, she speaks with a woman named Frau Anderson, who tells her that von Schnitzler , unlike many former government officials, has stuck to his old message, rather than becoming... (full context)

Weeks after Funder’s visit, she gets a call from Herr Winz, connecting her to von Schnitzler ’s wife, who in turn gives Funder von Schnitzler’s address. (full context)

Funder arrives at the von Schnitzler home. Frau Marta von Schnitzler, a former actress, lets her inside and introduces her to... (full context)

Von Schnitzler was born in 1918 in Berlin; his father was an important administrator for the Emperor.... (full context)

Von Schnitzler ’s career in East Germany revolved around his ability to provide commentary for West German... (full context)

Funder asks von Schnitzler if the East German state could have done anything better. Von Schnitzler admits that, early... (full context)

Before she goes, Funder offers von Schnitzler a gift, a small pin showing the Australian and German flags crossed together. Von Schnitzler... (full context)

...age of 92—headlines read, “Most hated man now dead.” Shortly afterwards, in a phone interview, Von Schnitzler tells Funder that Mielke has been unfairly vilified—largely because of “naked, brutal” capitalism. (full context)