THE PHOENIX EFFECT - How Societies Overcame Crisis and What We Can Learn Today

  • The lesson of history: Something new can grow from the ruins. Not by chance, but through the power of those who act.
  • A book that empowers us to face today’s crises with strength and resilience.
  • Kehnel's previous titles were sold to Italy, the Netherlands, Korea, Turkey and the UK.
  • English sample translation available.

What happens when the crisis is already here and the damage is done?
Is there still a chance for recovery? History says: Yes. 

Time and again, humanity has faced catastrophes - whether self-inflicted or beyond our control - and found ways to adapt. Often, the solutions were surprisingly creative.
Historian Annette Kehnel explores these pivotal moments: from Dutch engineers using wind energy to power the Netherlands' Golden Age, to a Hamburg merchant’s massive investment in reforesting the decaying Elbe forests. She examines London’s "Great Stink" sewage crisis and the diplomatic triumph of the Montreal Protocol, the first universally ratified environmental treaty to protect the ozone layer.

Kehnel’s research proves that under extreme pressure, societies can rethink their path and forge solutions that benefit generations to come.

"It's refreshing to look back at the past against the backdrop of today's multiple crisis." (NZZ on her previous title)

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Hardcover
  • Release: 06.10.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-498-00963-2
  • 240 Pages
  • Author: Annette Kehnel

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Buchcover von THE PHOENIX EFFECT - How Societies Overcame Crisis and What We Can Learn Today: Wie Gesellschaften Krisen bewältigt haben und was wir heute daraus lernen können
Annette KehnelTHE PHOENIX EFFECT - How Societies Overcame Crisis and What We Can Learn Today
Portrait von Annette Kehnel
© Anna Logue
Annette Kehnel

Annette Kehnel studied history and biology at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Somerville College Oxford, and LMU Munich. Her doctoral studies at Trinity College Dublin focused on the research of Irish monastic communities, after which she habilitated at the University of Dresden. Since 2005, she has held the Chair of Medieval History at the University of Mannheim. Her book Wir konnten auch anders (2021), in which Kehnel explores medieval sustainability knowledge for the present, became a Spiegel bestseller and won the NDR Non-Fiction Book Prize.