Vertigo: The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany

by Harald Jähner

Germany, 1918: a country in flux. The First World War is lost, traditional values are shaken to their core, revolution is afoot and the victory of democracy beckons. Everything must change with the times. The country is abuzz with talk of the 'new woman', the 'new man', 'new living' and 'new thinking'.

What follows is the establishment of the Weimar Republic, an economic crisis and the transformation of Germany. A triumphant procession of liberated lifestyles emerges. Women conquer the racetracks and tennis courts, go out alone in the evenings, cut their hair short and cast the idea of marriage aside. Unisex style comes into fashion, androgynous and experimental. People revel in the discovery of leisure, filling up boxing halls, dance palaces and the hotspots of the New Age, embracing the department stores' promise of happiness and accepting the streets as a place of fierce battles. So much of this short burst of life between the wars seems amazingly modern today, including, amidst a frenzy of change, the backlash from those who did not see themselves reflected in this new culture. Little by little, deep divisions in society began to emerge. Divisions that would have devastating consequences, altering the course of the twentieth century and the lives of millions around the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Germany, World War II, Politics, Audiobook, German Literature

Unknown Binding

First published August 16, 2022

About the author

Harald Jähner is a German journalist and author. Since 2011 he has been an honorary professor of cultural journalism at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a culture buff, VERTIGO: THE RISE AND FALL OF WEIMAR GERMANY by Harald Jähner is the perfect pick. The author uses historical events only as a necessary frame for cultural changes that appeared in the short period between WWI and Adolf Hitler's rise to power. His interests include music, architecture, gender equality, journalism, etc. In general, it seems no stone has been left untouched by the author, and future researchers have nothing to add to such a comprehensive work.

My only recommendation would be to read about German history and geography before choosing VERTIGO. The amount of information, squeezed under one book cover, may astonish the reader, unfamiliar with places and names associated with the period.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Great-O-Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Höhenrausch" beschreibt die Zeit zwischen den Weltkriegen. Es geht um die Frage, wie man sich in der Weimarer Republik fühlte.

Dazu werden unterschiedliche Themen behandelt: Politik, Wirtschaft, Architektur, Wohnen, Mode, Literatur, Fotografie, Film, Sport, Wissenschaft, ...

Jedes dieser Gebiete könnte in eigenen Büchern dargestellt werden. Hier wird die Gesamtgemengelage im Überblick beschrieben, um der Atmosphäre der Zeit auf die Spur zu kommen.

Das Ganze ist ausgesprochen gut komponiert. Bei einem weniger guten Autoren wäre es vermutlich in einzelne Bruchstücke zerfallen. Das ist hier nicht der Fall.

Harald Jähner schreibt feuilletonistisch. Es ist keine streng wissenschaftliche Sprache. Das kommt mir sehr entgegen.

Ergänzt wird der Text durch viele, sehr gut gewählte Fotografien aus der Zeit.

Das Buch ist lehrreich und unterhaltsam, eine fast unschlagbare Kombination.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“… In 1930, … Marlene Dietrich recorded one of the most beautiful songs composed by Friedrich Hollaender, the great Jewish revue and film composer of the 1920’s: ‘Wenn ich mir was wunschen durfte’ — ‘If I Were Granted a Wish’. It is about the joy of ambivalence — a melancholy, deeply anti-Utopian, very brief song. In a thoughtful voice, almost a whisper, … she … sings about the opposite of high-altitude euphoria, the idea of ‘Just being a bit happy.’ In retrospect, what luxury!”
Here is the text of the poem:
“Wenn ich mir was wunschen durfte,
Kam ich in Verlegenheit,
Was ich mir den wunschen solte,
Eine schlimme oder gute Zeit.

Wenn ich mir was wunschen durfte,
Mochte ich etwas glucklich sein,
Denn wenn ich gar zu glucklich war’,
Hatt ich Heimweh nach dem Traurigsein.”

As Shaun Whiteside translates it:
“If I were granted a wish,
I would be at a loss,
About whether I should wish
For good times or bad.

If I were granted a wish,
I would like to be a bit happy,
Because if I were too happy
I would be homesick for sadness.”

Resquat in pacem, WEIMAR REPUBLIC (1919-1933)

Marlene Dietrich
Friedrich Hollaender (no photo)

[Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing, knowledgeable research about that short part of German history (Weimar Republic) that was full of contradictions. Brocken, invalid IWW veterans vs. mania of a healthy body. Old-fashioned values vs modernism like from the XXI century. Big cities vs countryside. Starving poor vs ostentatious wealth. And many others. Those years brought ideas and art that were often appreciated later, much after IIWW. Sadly, those years also created nazism and the IIWW.

Because you box and jazz and dance the foxtrot on a powder keg. (...)
A fuse smolders underground. There's a crash in the middle of the foxtrot and night falls.

I was reading this book constantly taking breaks to check out the mentioned buildings, paintings, etc. I got a brilliant lesson in German history. I think, that nowadays, the Weimar Republic and those Germans aren't known. Most people see Germany in the first part of the XX century only as a country that was responsible for IWW and IIWW. And, although it is true, there are also many truths that we forget because of anger and a sense of injustice.

People who still think that all Germans were responsible for nazism (and what it did) should read this book.

Just listen to three of the most popular songs of that time: "Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte" (If I could wish for something), "Irgendwo auf der Welt" (Somewhere in the World), "Das gibt's nur einmal das kommt nicht wieder" (This only happens once and won't happen again) - to understand how far the true is from popcultural image of Germans of the 20. XX.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always worth revisiting the real Weimar if only because it has become, thanks to literature and film, a cliched short hand for decadence (see 'Voluptuous Panic' by Mel Gordon) and thus explanation for the rise of Nazism. For many today it is seen as the precursor to our culture wars and blueprint, or at least the runes which foretell our own potential future.

But Weimar didn't come into existence to epater les bourgeoisie or to provide an easy shorthand for glib editorialising by political prognosticators. It emerged out of the defeat of the German empire in WWI and disappeared because of the great depression. That it was always so unloved, even by those it set out to help, is one of the sadder stories Harald Jahner's marvellous book has to tell.

The importance of Weimar lies in its historical context. That it lasted only fifteen years has less to do with shallow roots than the political chicanery of the 'elite' gravediggers around Hindenburg. Weimar's very brevity should give us all pause before making glib comparisons between then and now.

Weimar is wonderful because for a brief moment it did give an opportunity to glace into the future for good or ill (before reading this book you would do well to read 'Dreamers: When the Writers Took Power, Germany 1918' by Volker Weidermann and '1913: The Year Before the Storm' by Florian Illies which provide context on the roots of so much of the 'cultural' context of Weimar). That for so long it looked so modern (whether that is still the case for younger people today I do not know) but until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the old Soviet Union it did haunt Europe as a beacon shinning on something better but lost though still treasured.

History is always worth reading, not because it tells us about today but because it doesn't. It can be a warning but not a blueprint. That our problems today have been faced before is salutary because becoming lost in the immediate doesn't show single minded concentration only blindness.

Mr. Jahner's book is a fine and important history but it is not for the novice. The concentration of information is formidable but unless you have some reference points already you may get lost in this richly detailed and fascinating history.

[André · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid book, very well written and well researched, covering all aspects of German society and the different groups, institutions and political tendencies between the wars - and how they evolved.
Harald Jähner - Wolfszeit/Aftermath - gives a well constructed and very detailed insight in the different political, cultural, moral developments and how the different parts of society each reacted to them.
Occasional comparisons to today's society makes one reflect about how little we changed...
Much more than a mere sociological study, Mr. Jähner adds numerous individuals, each with their specific influence and/or reaction to the changes, often describing very funny details - f.e. the stiff bellied monocle wearing gentlemen and their (non) reaction to youths/especially young women's sexual behavior. If they would have pulled a face they would have lost their monocles...
Politics, the many different parties, the military incl. WW1 veterans, society groups and social classes, the arts/artists, architecture/city development, everything is covered in detail using many quotes from the famous and the less so.
A true joy to read - I'm sure a translation is already in the works.
There are quite a few b/w photographs but since Mr. Jähner describes so many different people from all parts of society, buildings, artworks and and and, I decided to check the web from time to time to look at the specific personalities and/or art instead of "just" reading the descriptions. Maybe the publisher will one day publish a special edition with more pictures.
A must read for anybody interested in the time between the wars.

[Marks54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cultural history of the Weimar Republic. It is not a strictly linear story but is organized in chapters that proceed in roughly linear fashion. There are chapters on the initiation of the republic and the November revolution, the great inflation of 1922-1923, and the design movement with an emphasis on Bauhaus. There is a fascinating chapter on the rise of office work and the increasing importance of women as typists and more. This goes with a later chapter on gender developments and issues during the republic. There is also an amazing chapter on the role of the motorcar and of traffic more generally in Weimar Germany. The second half of the book begins with chapters on music, dancing, and the development of a self-development culture. The core of the second half of the story combines the shift in leadership from the death of Ebert to the rise of Hindenburg. This combines with the onset of the Great Depression to produce the political chaos and authoritarian rule by decree that led to Hitlet’s rise.

This story has been exhaustively research and written about, so there are relatively few surprises that Harold Jahner adds in his account. The cultural chapters, however, are outstanding, and the book is well written and easy to follow - with illustrations too. I have read a lot on Weimar and that is a wonderful book that I highly recommend.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harald Jähner’s 'Vertigo' is a remarkable and illuminating account of the Weimar Republic - one that deepens our understanding of how such fertile ground was laid for the Nazi rise to power. With a matter-of-fact, largely non-judgemental tone, Jähner paints a vivid picture of the post–World War I years in Germany: a society staggering under the weight of the punitive Treaty of Versailles, beset by mass unemployment and disillusionment, yet also bursting with cultural energy and social experimentation.

What makes this book so compelling is its portrayal of the paradox at the heart of Weimar Germany. On one hand, there was a widespread sense of loss and humiliation, especially among those who remembered the imperial past. On the other, a vibrant new culture was emerging, marked by jazz, artistic innovation, women’s liberation, and increasing visibility of LGBT communities. For many, this rapid transformation felt exhilarating; for others, deeply destabilising. Jähner deftly shows how this cultural whiplash created both hope and fear, modernity and backlash.

The latter half of the book explores how Hitler and his allies exploited this volatile environment, employing opportunistic and often cynical strategies to climb the political ladder. Jähner resists easy moralising and instead demonstrates how a combination of naivety, desperation, and wilful ignorance among the populace allowed extremist ideas to gain traction. Many supporters assumed Hitler's rhetoric was just that - rhetoric - or felt that after years of chaos, any kind of order would be preferable.

What makes Vertigo especially resonant is how uncomfortably familiar some of its themes feel today: the clash between progressive change and reactionary nostalgia, growing inequality, institutional mistrust, and a collective sense of uncertainty about the future. Jähner doesn’t offer simple lessons, but the book invites serious reflection about the fragility of democratic societies in times of upheaval.

This is essential reading - not just for students of history, but for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of polarisation, populism, and the seductive pull of authoritarianism. I hope more people read it and grapple with the questions it raises.

[Ilya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read quite a bit on the Weimar Republic, but this is the first book that helped me make sense of it. The reason, I think, is that there is much less here than is usual in the Weimar Republic literature on the elections, the political violence, and the alphabet soup of the parties; the existence of the Weimar Republic is not viewed merely as a way station to fascism.

In fact, surprisingly little space here is dedicated to the NSDAP or Hitler. Rather, most of the book is a careful, detail-rich reconstruction of what it was like to live in the Weimar Republic, down to an almost social-media level of immersion in the prevailing fashions, trends, styles and cultural signposts. There is so much here on what, and who, was quintessentially cool and vital—cars, hair styles, clothing, music, dance, the club scene; the film and music stars; the celebrities and socialites. So, this is largely a social and cultural history of the Weimar Republic, rather than a truly all-embracing history. But then even a more narrowly focused history has to account for the fall of the political order it describes, and the book does it well, if not perhaps with the same level of ardor that it lavishes on the “rise.” All in all, an excellent addition for anyone interested in the period.

-- many thanks to Basic Books for an ARC via NetGalley

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A familiar and terrible story told well. The politics of the post-war uprisings and the rise of Hitler frame a mostly cultural account of Germany between 1918 and 1933. The author follows several lives of prominent figures and common citizens to show the effects of government financial policies and shifting ideologies on the citizens of the Republic. A tragedy stumbling toward genocide and a whole curriculum of lessons the world should never forget.

[Gijs Zandbergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Na lezing heb ik de indruk gekregen dat de Weimarrepubliek begon en bloeide in Berlijn en dat het einde bespoedigd werd door het platteland. En wellicht is dat ook zo. En zo niet, dan heeft Jähner me in elk geval me heel veel geleerd over de sfeer en de dynamiek van dit stukje Duitse geschiedenis. Het is verleidelijk parallellen met de moderne geschiedenis te trekken. Maar zoiets doe je al gauw als iets ten onder aan het gaan is.

[Karina Samyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit is één van de beste boeken die ik las dit jaar!
De jaren '20 in de Weimarrepubliek. Berlijn, de impressionante architectuur, de prachtige mode, het dansen, de vrijheid, Bauhaus en de Nieuwe Zakelijkheid! Wat een opwindende tijd! Natuurlijk waren er tegenstanders, verbitterde Duitsers die op de spijker van de volkaard sloegen en in al die vernieuwingen de duivelse invloed van de andere zagen, zeg maar van de joden of de Amerikanen.
Het straatgeweld, de gevechten tussen links en rechts met honderden doden tot gevolg was echter ook een feit. De armoede en de ellende in de inflatieperiode kort na de oorlog en de miserie en werkloosheid na de crach van '29 ook.
Het is verbijsterend te zien hoe die bruisende energie in enkele jaren tijd vergaat in het duistere, gewelddadige van het nationaal-socialisme. Hoe sluipend het gif was. Hoe steil de opgang van Hitler begin de jaren '30 en hoe snel de neergang van de rationaliteit.
En ondanks de spiegel uit het verleden, loopt ook nu "het volk" achter luid schreeuwende, lelijke mannen aan. Het maakt me bang.

[Anne Bergsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is een mooie aanvulling op de litteratuur die er al is over de republiek van Weimar. Jähner legt de nadruk op de mentaliteitsgeschiedenis van Duitsland tussen beide Wereldoorlogen. Het morele effect van een verloren oorlog, die in Duitsland nauwelijks als verloren werd ervaren, maakte dat vanaf 1918 allerlei rechts tuig kon blijven geloven in de dolkstootlegende en andere fabeltjes. Het sektarische geweld van rechts en links was daarmee eigenlijk van 1918 tot aan de machtsovername van de NSDAP gegarandeerd. Daarna nam het Hitler-crapuul gedurende twaalf jaren de horreurs waar.

[Xander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een steengoed boek dat het leven van de Duitsers in de periode 1918-1940 in al zijn facetten schetst: van politieke en economische ontwikkelingen (zoals de stichting van de Weimarrepubliek en hyperinflatie) tot sociaal-economische en culturele trends en verschuivingen (zoals de opkomst van een nieuwe klasse - het kantoorpersoneel - en uitgaansleven en autoverkeer).

Ieder hoofdstuk zoomt in op een specifiek thema, bijvoorbeeld autoverkeer of lichaamscultuur, binnen een overkoepelend chronologisch raamwerk. Enkele zaken die er (voor mij) uitsprongen:

1. De opkomst van een nieuwe, zelfbewuste sociaaleconomische klasse door de opkomst van administratief werk op kantoren. Met name vrouwen profiteerden hiervan en wisten zich op een bepaalde manier te emanciperen. Deze nieuwe sociale klasse zag zichzelf niet als arbeider (men was bijvoorbeeld nauwelijks lid van een vakbond en stemde geen SPD) en imiteerde de hogere klasse in termen van cultuur, lifestyle en hobby's (men spendeerde veel geld aan eten buiten de deur en gebruikte kleding, dans en autobezit als onderscheidende kenmerken).

2. De grote ontworteling die het gevolg was van de snelle modernisering van de economie: de grote trek naar de steden, de atomisering van vrije individuen en de veranderende mores m.b.t. seksualiteit en zelfbeschikking - én het grote ressentiment onder plattelandsbewoners.

3. De vrij radicale breuk van het Wilhelminische Keizerreik en het 'Nieuwe Leven' waarin het individu vrijer werd en de economie steeds centraler kwam te staan en daarmee hiërarchie, traditie en cultuur terugdrong.

4. De grond van de conservatieve revolutie - en de uiteindelijke machtsgreep van de NSDAP - in de burgerij. Het waren noch de arbeiders noch de intellectuelen, maar de middenklasse die haar heil zag in de Nazi's. Men was bang om een sociaaleconomische val te maken en slikte de retorische praatjes van Adolf Hitler als zoete koek. Velen waren actief ondersteuner, velen keken weg - "zolang het mij niet raakt, vind ik het best." Hitler en zijn terreur waren onmogelijk zonder goedkeuring van de Duitse middenklasse, de Katholieken en de grootindustriëlen.

Jähner laat prachtig zien hoe mensen leefden en hoe zij omgingen met alle kansen en uitdagingen die de tijden boden. Hij citeert veelvuldig allerlei tijdgenoten van een zeer rijk pluimage - van hoofdredacteuren van tijdschriften tot dagboekaantekeningen van onbekenden - en schetst hiermee een periode die gekenmerkt wordt door radicale transformatie van een natiestaat. Plots leefden mensen in een nieuwe wereld die anders functioneerde, eruitzag en nieuwe groepen emancipeerde. Een 'nieuwe mens' ontstond die enerzijds veel gejuich opleverde maar anderzijds veel weerzin, walging en woede opwekte bij grote groepen mensen. Deze dynamiek van vernieuwing en van conservatisme is een rode lijn doorheen de jaren die het boek beschrijft.


Jähner is een zeer kundige auteur, zowel qua vorm als qua inhoud levert hij een puik staaltje werk af. Hoogteroes is een prachtig historisch werk dat op een toegankelijke en inlevende manier de lezer terugplaatst in het Duitsland van de jaren twintig en dertig van de vorige eeuw. Een zeer groot minpunt is dat Hoogteroes lijdt aan een fenomeen dat in de meeste geschiedenisboeken aanwezig: een vertelling vanuit de intellectuele bronnen, waardoor het gewone leven van de gewone man en vrouw er nogal karig van af komst. Jähner behandelt zijn materiaal vanuit het perspectief van kunstenaars, schrijvers, journalisten, politici, etc. Dit leidt ertoe dat de stad Berlijn en de culturele elite een hoofdrol spelen, waardoor de rest van Duitsland en haar inwoners er soms erg karig van af komen.

Desondanks is het een zeer vermakelijk boek dat goed wegleest, je een stortvloed aan feitjes en weetjes aanreikt en je een verbeelding van de tijd geeft. Leestip!

[Graham Mott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible. Excellent study of Germany between the wars. A time of extraordinary change, technology, arts, social mores, fashion which always was teetering on the edge of catastrophe which eventually overtook Germany and then Europe as a whole. Continually interesting and a very good production covering music, popular culture, politics and the roller coaster of the economy. While it can be too easy to draw parallels with the present you do sometimes wonder who might be taking lessons from this fascinating period.

[Marc Bosma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel boeiend. De parallellen met de huidige tijd zijn echter uitermate griezelig.

[Brian Hanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A history constructed of tableaux - or "scenes" as it's rendered here - intended to convey "what it felt like" to live through the Weimar Republic without knowing, as we do, what it would lead to. Jähner unapologetically sees Weimar as " a blueprint for our own" day. This includes, I suspect, the intimation that it could lead to something far, far worse. Jähner is a journalist, and this comes through in his style and strategy. Still, for those who expected a little more culture, a little less politics, in Frank McDonough's recent book covering the same period, this might serve as a useful cultural side dish.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough survey of the cultural trends and innovations of Weimar Germany, it falls somewhat short in its analysis of the political system which enabled the advent of the Third Reich. Granted, that sort of thing has been detailed in many other works and was not the main focus of this one, yet one wishes that Jähner had spent a bit more time exploring the role of the Reichswehr as well as that of the captains of industry whose influences were truly decisive in the latter stages of the Weimar Republic.

[bookshopgirl212 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wieder ein großartiges, umfangreiches Zeitgemälde, das lehrreich und unterhaltsam erzählt ist.

[Vwiggin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just terrifying how history is literally repeating itself

[Desirae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vertigo is a thorough view of Germany's Weimar Republic that bears some resemblance, as the subtitle suggests, to William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Noting that about the year 1930, democracy simply seemed to lose confidence in itself, the author, Harald Jahner, makes the case that the time of the Weimar Republic resembles our own time.

I actually think Jahner overplays that hand a little bit, the similarities are too obvious to miss. This is a very broad based book that covers a myriad of topics in Germany between the wars, including, but not limited to, culture, art, hyperinflation, film, politics and even traffic. Typically, a topic gets a chapter, and the next chapter moves to a new topic. Honestly, the book's narrative does not flow easily.

I am reminded of the viewpoint of Ward Just, the Washington DC based novelist who worked for Newsweek in his salad days. He remembered that as a young reporter, he was always a bit awed by the senior writers assigned to write "state of the nation" pieces for the magazine, wondering how they could encapsulate all the week's news in an article. But with time, his turn came at the plum assignments, and lo and behold, reporting with a broad view was actually pretty easy. You could say anything about a big country in changing times and be at least partially right. However, this a long book, not a short magazine article and the approach is was hard to follow here.

I thought Jahner's writing was sometimes a bit melodramatic, although if I am being honest, I think future historians will have the same challenge in covering our times.

Recommended. It is a very well researched, deep dive on the topic of the Weimar Republic.

[Peter A. van Tilburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book describes Germany between the two world wars. After WW1 the country recovered well but remained very unstable with many militant groups of communists and ex soldiers organised in force groups. Political unstable too with fast changing governments and many elections. Yet the culture, science and social development was amazing. The high inflation had a big impact, saving money was bad since it was worhless quickly. So quick spending was important and the old rich people became poor. This implied that an emphasis on quick spending and living by the day was important combined with the old rich upper class being not wealthy anymore. This lead to a free development of the country with arts and architecture (Charleston, Bauhaus e.g.). More or less a new society had to be developped totally different from the old empire with clear social classes. The society bacame broad thinking allowing all kind of liberties for all kinds of people (including f.i. LHBTQ). It gave me the idea of more or less ‘dancing on the volcano’. People felt there was something terribly wrong and lived live while it still was possible to the fullest not caring of what would happen next.
This has some parallels with our current time. Defintely there are big problems in our time. What do we do: face them (f.i. threat from Russia and climate isues) and solve them or wait till they disappear which will probably never happen. Let’s learn not to let things go wrong with dramatic results..

[Philipp Hoß · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein sehr spannender Überblick über die verschiedensten Lebensbereiche und Umstände in der Weimarer Republik ohne einseitigen Fokus oder die übliche Verklärung der 'Goldenen Zwanziger'. Harald Jähner berichtet über das Privat- und Arbeitsleben ebenso wie über Kunst und Kultur oder die Veränderung der Rollenverhältnisse zwischen Männern und Frauen. Dass die gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen zwischen 1918 und 1933 nicht linear verlaufen und es vor allem große Unterschiede zwischen Stadt und Land gibt wird im Buch deutlich. Leider dreht sich der Großteil des Buches um Politiker, Großindustrielle und Kulturschaffende, weshalb die Lebensrealität der Durchschnittsbevölkerung teilweise auf der Strecke bleibt.
Sehr gelungen fand ich allerdings die zeitgemäße Einordnung der teils immer noch rassistischen und sexistischen Verhältnisse der angeblich so aufgeklärten Weimerer Republik.
Insgesamt ein tolles Buch, in schönem Stil geschrieben, dass dazu anregt, sich mehr mit der Thematik auseinamderzusetzen.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the history and culture of the Weimar Republic. I read the German original but there are several translations available so I'll write the review in English to entice the potential readers of the translations as well.
Why would one want to read such a book in the first place? First and foremost, it's mind-boggling how many problems du jour have played out pretty much the same in the 1920's. I'm talking about the emancipation of women (and the confusing gender dynamics that come with it), the enormous role of entertainment and distraction, labor market changes due to new technologies and of course ... right-wing idealogy scratching a psychological itch for a large part of the country. To me personally it's comforting to see that these things have happened before and the country lived to tell the tale (although I don't like that some drastic political consequences with unspeakable tragedies and atrocities were part of the deal). Knowing this part of history is very powerful for anyone who would have a more grounded view on current events aside from the dominant narratives of the present moment.
What kept me from giving 5 stars? Although it's very well-written, this book is at times rather detailled on certain niche phenomena and protagonists of the Weimar Republic and I wouldn't mind them to be a little briefer than they were.

Overall a very educational book, even for inhabitants of Germany since this part of history isn't discussed in much detail here, as far as I can tell.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the described events and persons were already subject to countless books, non fiction and fiction, academic papers etc. Mostly, though, they were concentrated on certain elements or certain people, certain.years, certain movements or they were wideswept accounts. This book is different; it is fabulously well written, serious, witty, dry, excellently researched. It is a holistic description of the years of the Weimar Republic, showing all elements in context, how art and entertainment mirror the political climate, how society got to terms or did not get to terms with the changed world after the First World War, how town and country developed in different directions , how all the different layers were influencing each other. And, of course, how the Nazi movement grew, how many circumstances led to the death of democracy. The complexity of it all is finely pulled apart. An absolutely absorbing read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A period of German history told in detail. It follows society post the First World War, exploring the impact defeat had on the German population. It is surely a warning for current times as society searches for identity and a sense of belonging. Unfortunately it found Hitler and his henchmen who were all too ready to exploit it.

[Lars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zelden een historisch werk gelezen wat mij zo sterk de tijdsgeest liet beleven. Van de zorgvuldig gekozen levendige foto's tot de passages uit romans uit de Weimar. Geen moment verveeld met dit vlot geschreven werk.

[Sven Kronshage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ausgerechnet in Lippe….

[Ralf Papendick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besser kann Geschichte nicht erklärt werden! Ein ungewöhnliches Buch, das Geschichte greifbar macht. Alles so nachvollziehbar, als stünde es in einer guten Tageszeitung. Bitte lesen.

[Dorota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and interesting, and definitely well-researched. But it was a bit repetitive and gossipy.