"A prequel to McDonough's The Hitler Years, The Weimar Years is a vivid and compelling narrative that provides a dramatic year by year history of Germany from 1918 to 1933. "
From the moment I removed the packaging, this book screamed quality at me. Even as my eyes first scanned the jacket, my fingers flicked through the pages and I saw the incredible array of information and accompanying photographs, I knew I was in for a treat.
In many ways, the Weimar period could and, perhaps should have been a model for a successful modern democracy. Women had democratic rights; there was improved communication, radios, cars, cinemas and airplanes. Political infighting, inflation and deep societal division conspired, however, to shatter the dream and, as the author so correctly highlights, the clear parallels to modern democracies are disturbing, particularly given Germany’s spectacular fall from the heights of liberalism to the depths of Nazi tyranny in so short a period.
Two years before he was appointed Chancellor, Adolf Hitler declared the thirteen years of the first true German democracy following the conclusion of WWI to have been wasted, as unmitigated political and economic chaos. Like Putin's Russia, Germany allowed poor leadership to drift the country towards authoritarian rule. This book is a timely reminder to many Governments around the world that the consequences of populism, complacency and self-serving agendas can be considerable.
The Weimar Years has so many chilling resonances with our world today. It is a warning to us all and historical writing at its very best. I feel like I have learned so much.
Highly recommended.
| Primary Genre | History |
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