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The Weimar Years

Rise and Fall 1918–1933

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The Weimar Years

By: Frank McDonough
Narrated by: Paul McGann
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Weimar Years by Frank McDonough, read by Paul McGann.

A DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE WEEK
A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR
A DAILY TELEGRAPH BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023
ASPECTS OF HISTORY BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
A DAILY MAIL BEST CHRISTMAS BOOK OF 2023

Established in 1918–19, in the wake of Germany’s catastrophic defeat in the First World War and the revolution that followed swiftly on its heels, the Weimar Republic ushered in widespread social reform, a radical cultural flowering and the most democratic conditions the German people had ever known.

At its beginning, Weimar held out the hope that democracy, stability and prosperity would take root in Germany, but it was beset by frequent changes of government, waves of economic upheaval and spasms of violence of increasing intensity between the forces of left and right. Agitation and assassination by rightwing nationalists – enraged by the severity of the Treaty of Versailles and the acceptance of its terms by liberal German politicians – formed a threatening descant to the conciliatory efforts of successive coalition governments. Ultimately, the instabilities of Weimar would lead to the appointment as German Chancellor of the Nazi Fu¨hrer Adolf Hitler, who created a one-party dictatorship that abandoned the rule of law, democracy and civil rights. In the words of Gustav Stresemann, Germany’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Foreign Minister from 1923 to 1929, Weimar democracy was ‘dancing on a volcano’.

The Weimar Years is a vivid and compelling narrative of a dramatic period in German history. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough covers the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in music, art, theatre and literature. McDonough places particular focus on the parliamentary history of Weimar, arguing that it was the failure of parliamentary democracy to bring stability that eroded public confidence and allowed the power of the elected Reichstag to gradually diminish, culminating in Hitler’s accession to power in January 1933.

The Weimar Years is the tragic story of a rise and fall, as well as a warning of how, under poor leadership, economic pressure and unrelenting political volatility, a democracy can drift towards a form of authoritarian rule that eventually destroys it.©2023 Frank McDonough (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 20th Century Europe Germany Military Modern War Socialism Liberalism Imperialism Winston Churchill Soviet Union Government Law Capitalism Interwar Period

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All stars
Most relevant
Too much detail of early politics and political parties who were irrelevant to events and developments.

Too much arithmetical detail in the early chapters made it difficult to focus on particular aspects of contemporary politics.

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I like very much when a historian does not attempt to tell history backward by lecturing the participants on what they "should" have been able to predict about the future. McDonough is refreshingly free from this tendency and does a 1st rate job of pulling the listener into the realities that were being dealt with at the time, and letting the events unfold without pre-judgement. There's a tendency in many history books to skip over the interwar years, or regard them with a certain inevitability, and this book does a creditable job of highlighting how many smart, well intentioned people worked very hard to try to avoid a repetition of the horror of the Great War in a situation where every solution threw up an additional problem .

The narrator is good too,

Excellent history of the period.

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But in chapter 8, you have a mistake the British government couldn’t have King George the sixth after the Lucano agreement ratification because King George the fifth was still in Power

Excellent book

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A good introduction to this fascinating period of history. Paul McGann’s calm and thoughtful narration is spot on. Some narrators have a grating voice but he is lovely to listen to. Those who like a lot of detail on election results and the ins and outs of treaties will really enjoy this book. Personally I was hoping for more on the social and cultural aspects of the period - the sections on Bauhaus and Metropolis were highlights but would have liked more of this. A good book however and will listen to the next 2 if only for Paul’s wonderful narration of this eventful period in modern history.

Lots of detail and excellent narration

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… history of the 15 years of the Weimar Republic. Detailed chronologically & demonstrating how close it came to success at times before imploding and creating Adolf Hitler!

Thoroughly researched & fascinating…

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