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The Weimar Republic
In the first part of the book, Professor Kolb provides a clear historical narrative of the political, social, economic and cultural developments of the Weimar Republic, setting it within the international context of the inter-war period. In the second part he surveys and analyses scholarly research in the field which sheds light on the problems and controversies of the period in home and foreign affairs. This text, therefore, provides an excellent introduction to the history of the Weimar Republic and a guide to the state of research for more advanced students.
The book contains a detailed chronology and an extensive and up-to-date bibilography, divided by subject, which includes recent English-language studies of the period and translation of German works.
The book contains a detailed chronology and an extensive and up-to-date bibilography, divided by subject, which includes recent English-language studies of the period and translation of German works.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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About the author
Eberhard Kolb
36 booksEberhard Kolb is a German historian and author, best known for his research of the history of Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
He is a professor emeritus at the University of Cologne.
He is a professor emeritus at the University of Cologne.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 5, 2021
Uncomfortable, anomic, hyper fluid, and modern, very creative time before the right-wing hoar frost. I didn't live in Weimar but I did live in the 1970s USA and similar crises wracked the world of my childhood and the same frost came down in the 1980s under Reagan. I mean it is as old as Phillip and Alexander pickling the Athena efflorescence while destroying the conditions that made it. Of course, Weimar was more uncomfortable it seems the backlash far more horrific. Sometimes there seems to be a pattern but with noise and signal it hard to tell which is which.
September 10, 2022
Gives a nice bird's eye view and also covers historical debates in academia.
Many interesting bits: the state more focused on suppressing left wing 'radicals' over right wing ones, the judiciary not being a neutral entity at all but highly dependent on its composition (its anti-republican and rightist elements were a big problem and should have been purged during the revolution), consolidation of power in a strong presidency, the right wanting to keep the SPD out of power, the SPD not taking full advantage of the revolutionary period to push for popular social democratic demands, the KPD unable to form some strategic alliance with the SPD (maybe fair given the SPD's failures/betrayal but moralism can't stop bullets), etc.
Would highly recommend reading.
As expected I often felt like reading into the history some lessons for today. Although forces which could use these lessons are not around in many places. Hopefully they are in the process of forming.
Many interesting bits: the state more focused on suppressing left wing 'radicals' over right wing ones, the judiciary not being a neutral entity at all but highly dependent on its composition (its anti-republican and rightist elements were a big problem and should have been purged during the revolution), consolidation of power in a strong presidency, the right wanting to keep the SPD out of power, the SPD not taking full advantage of the revolutionary period to push for popular social democratic demands, the KPD unable to form some strategic alliance with the SPD (maybe fair given the SPD's failures/betrayal but moralism can't stop bullets), etc.
Would highly recommend reading.
As expected I often felt like reading into the history some lessons for today. Although forces which could use these lessons are not around in many places. Hopefully they are in the process of forming.
January 26, 2017
This is an excellent reference text that helps one understand the various influences that doomed the Weimar Republic and lead to Hitler's ascension to power. Most historians who tried to unpack all f the socio-economic and foreign relations matters that influenced this period just after the war had a tendency to come up with very simplistic monocausal theories. History to be understood correctly must always be viewed from some distance when emotions are less raw, and historical data is available from all points of view.
This text debunks many of the earlier theories and faithfully points out those areas where there is still no consensus. This type of analysis became possible when Germany and Soviet documents became available with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the captured documents from when the Third Reich collapsed were made available.
Even today some historians use the simplistic causes for the rise of Hltler and the NSDAP that were the primary theories in 1945-1950. I learned how very complicated the factors were that almost doomed the Weimar Republic from its inception. A must read for anyone who is interested in this period of history.
This text debunks many of the earlier theories and faithfully points out those areas where there is still no consensus. This type of analysis became possible when Germany and Soviet documents became available with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the captured documents from when the Third Reich collapsed were made available.
Even today some historians use the simplistic causes for the rise of Hltler and the NSDAP that were the primary theories in 1945-1950. I learned how very complicated the factors were that almost doomed the Weimar Republic from its inception. A must read for anyone who is interested in this period of history.
January 26, 2017
An excellent introductory text on the Weimar Republic. Easy reading but filled with lots of history surrounding the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Weimar Declaration, that even a novice reader would enjoy without getting bogged down with too many historical facts.
October 25, 2021
I fortuitously found this book in a chaotic bookstore after it was brought up on one of Matt Christman's "Grill Streams" (Which I can't recommend enough, the perfect synthisis of Zizek and Mark Fisher). It was referenced as THE book on post WW1 German politics, and that is an understatement.
If I had to draw one thesis from Eberhard Kolb's "The Weimar Republic", it's that it cannot be understated how much the German Social Democratic Party blew it. This was the party who's strict historical mission was to fulfill the Marx's transition from imperial capitalism to socialism in Germany, and they blinked until they opened their eyes in the Third Reich.
The majority of German soldiers and workers who revolted to end WW1 were SPD supporters, and instead of harnessing that mass popular power they capitulated to the anti-democratic upper and middle classes at every turn. When the former/current monarchists wanted a president who had the power of the old Emperor, the SPD gave it to them against warnings that if one of the old Generals took that position they'd crush the parliament (that's exactly what happened). When the (often overestimated) communists rose up to do what the SPD was too afraid to, they organized paramilitary Freikorps (that turned into Brownshirts a few years) later to slaughter them. To draw allusion to the present, "a principal weakness... lay in the contrast between 'far reaching social intervention by the state and the almost unlimited autonomy of big business in matters of price fixing and market policy". To summarize, "...just as they had not followed the revolutionary-socialist course to the end, so they failed to tread the liberal-democratic path consistently...". They boofed it, gave Hitler an open lane, and have become the historical reason so many on the left don't trust social democrats.
This books is both extremely academic and a surprisingly easy read. The first chunk of it is a straightforward history of the period from 1918 to 1932, separated into both chapters and subjects. The latter half is full of conclusions anyone will find interesting mixed in with historiography that anyone who isn't a German historian from the 1980's will find pretty boring. But despite that, this book fundamentally challenged the socially focused narrative of "why the Nazi's came to power" I had grown up with, and made a well cited and compelling argument from examing the political economy of the intervening period. If this subject is at all interesting to you, you owe it to yourself to give this book your time.
If I had to draw one thesis from Eberhard Kolb's "The Weimar Republic", it's that it cannot be understated how much the German Social Democratic Party blew it. This was the party who's strict historical mission was to fulfill the Marx's transition from imperial capitalism to socialism in Germany, and they blinked until they opened their eyes in the Third Reich.
The majority of German soldiers and workers who revolted to end WW1 were SPD supporters, and instead of harnessing that mass popular power they capitulated to the anti-democratic upper and middle classes at every turn. When the former/current monarchists wanted a president who had the power of the old Emperor, the SPD gave it to them against warnings that if one of the old Generals took that position they'd crush the parliament (that's exactly what happened). When the (often overestimated) communists rose up to do what the SPD was too afraid to, they organized paramilitary Freikorps (that turned into Brownshirts a few years) later to slaughter them. To draw allusion to the present, "a principal weakness... lay in the contrast between 'far reaching social intervention by the state and the almost unlimited autonomy of big business in matters of price fixing and market policy". To summarize, "...just as they had not followed the revolutionary-socialist course to the end, so they failed to tread the liberal-democratic path consistently...". They boofed it, gave Hitler an open lane, and have become the historical reason so many on the left don't trust social democrats.
This books is both extremely academic and a surprisingly easy read. The first chunk of it is a straightforward history of the period from 1918 to 1932, separated into both chapters and subjects. The latter half is full of conclusions anyone will find interesting mixed in with historiography that anyone who isn't a German historian from the 1980's will find pretty boring. But despite that, this book fundamentally challenged the socially focused narrative of "why the Nazi's came to power" I had grown up with, and made a well cited and compelling argument from examing the political economy of the intervening period. If this subject is at all interesting to you, you owe it to yourself to give this book your time.
September 22, 2025
Excellent analysis of the Weimar era in Germany. Not only covers the intricacies of politics, relations with the Allies, and strategic factors, but also deals with the distinct phases of those fateful years. Plus he assesses the history of historical reaction to these events.
He takes a balanced look at the topic--describing events dispassionately-- then making his argument from a synthesis of viewpoints. There's no ultimate "hidden truth" here, leaving the reader to assess the information.
There's events and personalities of obvious significance: the impact of the spiraling inflation, reparations, the influence of Streseman, and later of Bruning and the so-called presidential rule beginning in 1930. There was an overall tendency towards a bleak outcome.
The most significant issue was whether Hitler's success was inevitable; characteristically, the author backs away from a black or white response. Therefore, we're left to assume that, even as the Weimar situation drifted away from representative democracy, it needn't have ended up as it did.
Highly recommended.
He takes a balanced look at the topic--describing events dispassionately-- then making his argument from a synthesis of viewpoints. There's no ultimate "hidden truth" here, leaving the reader to assess the information.
There's events and personalities of obvious significance: the impact of the spiraling inflation, reparations, the influence of Streseman, and later of Bruning and the so-called presidential rule beginning in 1930. There was an overall tendency towards a bleak outcome.
The most significant issue was whether Hitler's success was inevitable; characteristically, the author backs away from a black or white response. Therefore, we're left to assume that, even as the Weimar situation drifted away from representative democracy, it needn't have ended up as it did.
Highly recommended.
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July 27, 2013A solid introduction to that whole Weimar Republic business with its wacky hyperinflation, cabarets, Gustav Stresemanns and the like. Not for casual readers, this thing is all business.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews