Dance Between Flames: Berlin Between the Wars

by Anton Gill

'A lively chronicle' The Independent From the end of World War One, to the start of World War Two, Berlin was centre of both artistic excellence and moral decadence.

It was the heyday of this great city.

Between November 1919 and September 1939, many of this century's most sensational events in politics, the arts, theatre, cinema and night life took place in Berlin, where vulgarity and greatness lived side by side.

High culture, epitomized in the works of Brecht, Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator, was matched by the city's glamorously decadent night-life.

Part-politicized and part-criminal clubs thrived, the cabaret of political life sharing the same colour and exoticism as the city's underworld elements.

Anton Gill expertly describes both the political and cultural history of Berlin through those historic years.

He sketches the characters of scientists, actors and actresses, composers, conductors, painters and businessmen in an era which is arguably the nearest thing to a Renaissance revival the 20th century has seen.

Combining outstanding erudition with a compelling narrative, ‘A Dance Between Flames’ offers a consistently fascinating overview of a key period in Germany’s troubled history.

‘A permanently useful handbook...can be dipped into for facts or impressions about all aspects of this dynamo of a town during its most influential decades’ – Independent>/b>

‘Immensely informative and readable...Gill fills in the political history of Berlin between the wars with brilliantly evocative passages describing the cultural scene in theatre, opera, cinema, architecture, cafés and clubs’ – Stephen Spender in The Times

Anton Gill has been a freelance writer since 1984, specialising in European contemporary history but latterly branching out into historical fiction. He is the winner of the H H Wingate Award for non-fiction for his study of survivors of the Nazi concentration camps, ‘The Journey Back From Hell’.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Germany, World War II, Historical

407 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1994

About the author

Anton Gill worked for the English Stage Company, the Arts Council of Great Britain, and the BBC before becoming a full-time writer in 1984. He has written more than twenty books, mainly in the field of contemporary history.

aka Oliver Bowden

Reviews

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely detailed look at Berlin (and Germany) between the world wars. To me the best writing was the chaos in 1918 and for a few following years as Germany threatened to come apart. Then the book looked at various aspects of life - art, science, newspapers, theatre, nightlife, religion and politics - in these 20 years. Maybe the details were all a bit clinical as I found I was not always enthralled by the words on the page.

[Jo Walton]

I don't know whether it was me or it, but I kept failing to be drawn in. I love Gill's Michelangelo book, I'm interested in the subject, but it somehow didn't come together here. It started to feel like a chore to read and I had to force myself through the middle. Disappointing.

[Tim Pendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice part-narrative part-thematic acccount of Berlin from the collapse of Wilhelmine Germany to the start of the Second World War. Don't demand too much of it - it is a light but well written cultural history which gives us a good sense of how one large city made its way through crisis after crisis.

It is much stronger on the period before the Nazi Seizure of Power than the 1933-1939 period. Gill clearly and understandably does not like Nazis and it shows. There is nothing wrong with this attitude and I share it but it does mean that the story-telling is weaker here than it need have been and is driven by his and our knowledge of where these thugs were heading.

In this respect, Gill seems to suffer a little from that modern German discomfort with this particular episode in German history and lose interest in telling an important story still poorly understood outside Germany. What he does do though, before the book elides into standard condemnation strategies, is give a good on-the-ground sense of the malice underpinning national socialism, a useful corrective to any partial apologists still out there.

He also helps us to understand that many people would have seen its arrival as much more temporary than it proved to be in its first years of power. Even Kristallnacht in 1938 would be patchy in its effect on the line of sight of many Berliners and would have been noted far more by the intended future victims of the regime than the bystanders. There really was a lot of sleepwalking go on - much as there is today in our culture.

The earlier chapters are better though and Gill has a fine inside judgment that periodically puts the cultural life of the 1920s into proportion so that we do not romanticise the era beyond what it will bear. There is much to be learned from this book in an easy-going way if only where to look next for study since Gill is clearly giving us material that may be readily available to Germans but not front of mind for English or American readers. Basically, solid popular history without pretension. There is always a place for such work.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Berlin during the interwar period is a fascinating subject, and Anton Gill touches on a large variety of different aspects of life in the city during those two decades. While an interesting read, however, the book lacked a coherent structure, there was just a little too much wild jumping around.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I gave this VERY detailed book 2 stars is because the amount of research the author must’ve done. There was some interesting information, but the details were overwhelming. I don’t think he left out a single theatre, theater, actor, actress, writer, producer, director, etc.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

The character of a city is a hard subject to capture in words, even the partial character of 20 years, and Gill does his best, in a whirlwind political, social, and artistic history of Berlin between the First and Second World Wars.

This book is at its best when it lets ordinary Berliners speak, using journals and interviews to remember the texture of ordinary life. A few people lived in great comfort, many more lived on a ragged edge of starvation, and the ominous politics of the era overshadowed everything. Nightlife, promiscuous sex, cocaine: Weimar Berlin was a city where anything could happen.

Of course the most important 'anything' was the politics, the shaky political norms of Republican politics, and how the apparatus of the State was seized by Nazis and then turned against the world. Gill does an okay job with the politics, though I don't think he does a great job explaining the rise of the Nazis in contemporary terms, rather than the historical horror we know them as.

Where this book spends most of its time is in the arts, the glittering cabarets, concerts, plays, films, poems, paintings, etc. I'd estimate 2/3rds of this book are about artists, and as someone weak on the period, I found my attention drifting. Too much of the art is inherently ephemeral, cabarets and concerts never recorded. The most lasting legacy is the Bauhaus design school, which laid out a visual grammar we still use today.

I appreciated the detail, but this a book that left me with more confusion than clarity.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a history of Berlin between the two World Wars. As one may expect, there is a heavy focus on the civic reaction to and place in the rise to power of the Nazis. Hitler apparently loathed the left-leaning metropolis and took great pains to smash it down in the run-up to the war. These bits are no more than what you'd get out of any college level history class. The interesting bits are on the arts and the outright decadence of much of the inter-war period. Writers, film, even sports are covered here, with general historiography backed up by actual interviews Gill did with extant Berliners. Definitely not as comprehensive as Alexandra Ritchie's book, but a decent start for the lay entity.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ab der Hälfte des Buches verliert Anton Gill endgültig den Kampf gegen deutsche Eigennamen und die Umlaute ö,ä,ü. Warum ein Verlag nicht wenigstens Ortsnamen und Familiennamen Prominenter routinemäßig überprüft, verstehe ich nicht. Abgesehen vom formalen Glatteis ist Dance between the Flames ein humorvoller, höchst interessanter Blick aus britischer Perspektive auf Berlin zwischen den Weltkriegen. Zum Lesevergnügen tragen die vielen Stimmen von Zeitzeugen bei, der empathische Blick auf die Lebensbedingungen kleiner Leute und prominenter Künstler. Im e-book funktionieren die Anmerkungen perfekt.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent coverage of the period between the wars. It explained the post-WW1 chaos, the hyperinflation crisis, the loss of a moral compass, and the complete lack of stability that paved the way for Nazism. Quite a bit about the artists, writers, and film makers of the period. Fascinating and well-written.

[Sjervey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly exhaustive study of the life and culture of Berlin between the two world wars; so exhaustive that it should be accompanied by an index. When I had finished, I wanted to go back and review what it had to say about the impacts of the lost generation of German men on the battlefields of World War I and of the terrible influenza epidemic(s) of 1918-1919. Without an index, however, it required more effort than I was prepared to invest after having read the full work. While I cannot recall enough being said about those two devastating tragedies, I am still immensely impressed with the thoroughness of the courage of the political and cultural forces at work at the time. One sees again and again how easily people exaggerated their own importance and underestimated Hitler, who understood the need of the German people for a sense of redemption after the French abuses in the Treaty of Versailles. The amoral excesses of Berlin at this time eclipse those of the Roaring 20's in the US or the Moulin Rouge in Paris or La Dolce Vita in Italy. Yet all are part of the response to the loss of a generation of young men and the terrible fear caused worlwide by the flu epidemics. This leaves us without a clear benchmark for understanding what was common to the period and what was uniquely German. That and the lack of an index keep me from giving five stars. Still I would recommend this as a valuable contribution to an understanding of this vitally important prelude to World War II.

[Andrew Scholes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I had never read before.

I have read about Germany in WWI and WWII but never in between the wars. It showed how Germany had to rebuild after WWI and they were very devastated and had very little help. Russia expected millions of Marks for reparations. Money Germany did not have. His helped the rise of the Nazi party
and of Hitler.

The way it is put in the book is “The Treaty of Versailles was a hard blow for nascent German democracy. However justified its conditions seemed to the Allies, it left out of account the new thinking in Germany. Instead of encouraging a change of heart and helping Germany to its feet, the Treaty’s terms humiliated national dignity; the reparations demanded, together with the confiscation of territories, were designed to keep Germany on its knees. It thereby united the forces of reaction and left the liberal flank exposed. The price paid was the Second World War.”

[Ranjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, detailed study of Berlin between the two wars but it is too clinical. Lacks the emotion, rhythm and pace that make a great chronicle. As far as politics is concerned, there are better books; but this book also incorporates the vibrant cultural life of Berlin with plenty of anecdotes. Sometimes it feels like as if you are reading a listing magazine and the author does not want to leave out anything; so it becomes boring and tedious in parts... Look at it like a mine that you have to excavate, only if you are interested in history of that period and dabble in European literature, theater, cinema, painting, cabaret and music and architecture, and, and... I hope you get the drift.

[Mike Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book, as homework before I read book 3 (and book 4, due out next month) of the Gideon Rath books. It's an incredibly comprehensive account of Berlin in the inter-war years, covering pretty much every aspect of life in those times. The book is a bit sprawling in places, but that's a function of the wide-ranging subject matter. My only criticism is that there are so many references, only a few of which add to the book and many are 'Conversation with the author', which I took as read.
I know feel fully armed to re-enter the semi-fictional world of Inspector Rath...

[solitaryfossil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fine starting point for those interested in the Weimar Republic and Berlin’s transformation between the two world wars. I appreciate these kinds of books, and the extensive bibliography serves as a springboard for my continuing reading about this fascinating, brief time in history. The author does a nice job of conveying the spirit of the city, and I recommend it to those interested in the Weimar Republic.

[Dan A. Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dance

There is a lot of research and knowledge in this, however it is long and dry. For the most part the narrative mostly covers the 1920 Berlin period, with only cursory excerpts about the 1930s. Most of the writing is about Berlin arts, politics, and debauchery of those 10 years. Unfortunately, the book predominantly centers on the middle and upper classes, with little discussion about this time period and the working people.

[Loretta Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enlightening story of life in Berlin between wars

The author has written a very intriguing description of the life in Berlin between the two wars. The stories in this book explain why and why Hitler was able to gain control of the country and commit the crimes that were committed.

[Maria Valderrama · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very enlightening and clearly showed the factors that led to the rise of Hitler and his Nazis. Canny similarities to our times. The book contains a lot of information and at times it was difficult to follow. Maybe it could have been organized differently, but I understand the difficulty the author faced.

[Deb Pizzica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with a few reviewers who noted Gill tried to fit in a lot of material, listing many people and events. It can be confusing. I almost felt I needed a chart to follow along. My best take aways: the atmosphere of the time is felt, didn't realize the chaos after WW1 with the government, and it felt like much of today's America.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative

Perhaps it should be required reading for us in the United States. There are many of the same circumstances, we should learn and do better.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling Reminder

A recount of life in Germany leading up to WWII. At times rambling and short many statistics. A very enlightening read.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

BORING!

[Michael Hinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frightening, yet fascinating

A disturbing view of Berlin life following World War I in the midst of the demise of the former German state and the buildup of the Third Reich.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

But in my opinion it focuses too much on the art’s. I wanted to understand how a liberal republic go change over to a dictatorship so quickly.

[Pasquale Cerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

Gives a different perspective of the cultural life which was the opposite of the nazis’s ideals that followed later on

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the detail excessive.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information but is more a history book than a novel.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A haphazard but compelling history of Weimar Germany. Gill covers the politics and the culture of Weimar Germany from the end of the First World War until the German invasion of Poland. He is exhaustively on top of Berlin's culture from cabaret to film to art and drama. The parallels between the rise of Hitler and the first moths of Trump's second term are too close for comfort.

[Emmy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history of Berlin and the rise of Hitler.

[Giselle Roeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to read and even harder to believe

During the time I read this book, I can not count how often I asked myself: How can anybody collect this much information, names and times of Happenings? It must have taken years for the author to do this tremendous work. He makes Berlin come alive, one can relive the twenties, the thirties, get to know the people whose names will forever be connected to books, cinema, theatre, people who still became household names after 1945.
This book alone - without the pages and pages of research data - will illuminate the reader, will test our intention to read though it all, question the cruelty but also admire the determination of all the different people, German, Russian, etc but especially the ones of the Jewish faith. One sentence really got me: After all the Jews left there were no educated people in Berlin.
I was born in 1934, but I was a curious child, learned to read early, and authors like Tucholsky, Kaesthner, and many others mentioned, are no strangers to me. Also, names like Gustav Gruendgens and many entertainers from film and theatre seemed to pop up like old friends.
In German, I like to say „Hut ab“ to the author. This is not just a book, this is a work extraordinaire.

[Ryan Schiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book when looking at it from the perspective of an in-depth history lesson of Berlin from the 1920's to the late 1930's, but it was not what I thought it to be. Mainly, I was under the impression it was a book detailing the more "debauched" side of Berlin, and it's global reputation in the Roaring Twenties as a capital of sex and vice, much the same as was Paris, but even more so.

For someone who has not read a book of the conditions that arose in the creation of the Wiemar Republic and subsequent rise of the Nazi's, this would be a good read.