Weimar and the Rise of Hitler

The Making of the Twentieth Century

by Anthony James Nicholls

This fourth edition of the classic text on the Weimar Republic begins with Germany's defeat in 1918 and the revolutionary disturbances that followed the collapse of Wilhelm II's Empire. It describes the strengths and weaknesses of the new regime, and the stresses created by the economic difficulties of the 1920s. Adolf Hitler's career is traced from its early beginnings in Munich, and the nature of his movement is assessed. This edition, updated throughout and considerably expanded, takes full account of the last decade of research, including recent debates on the nature of the German revolution of 1918-19, the relationship between political upheavels and economic crises, and the question of whether there really was an alternative to the Third Reich in January 1933. The chronological table and extensive bibliography add to the book's value as both an introduction to Weimar and a stimulus to further study.

Genres: History, Germany, Nonfiction, Politics

245 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1969

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book, though prone to getting technical and bogged down with details. It covers the Weimar Republic and the political turmoil in Germany from the end of WW1 to the beginning of Hitler's dictatorship. The author uses the phrase vis-à-vis WAY to much.
Overall I found it a rough read, but on an interesting topic.

[Krocht Ehlundovič · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very good, it fulfilled some of my expectations - I was finally fed by detailed info about politics: "all" governments (chancellors) described and explained, key politicians presented and showed their role in the republic and these things really satisfied me - I ate them with a hunger of an intellectual (I dare to say). Finally I got the picture I needed about the state situation - what and why happened. These info I did not find in our student history books (of course they cannot enter such depths).

It seems that the author is a "real" historian (doing an active research) as he mentioned his work and change of opinions over some aspects (Bruning´s role) in his introduction. I appreciated his attitude when he decided to offer a complex view to the WR political affairs, and he was not afraid to enter the detailed and nuanced world of history! Each sentence and word bear a relevant info, reader must be very careful, but that is good I believe.

I am now thinking of processing the book´s info into a presentation/lecture to enrich knowledge I provide to my students. I did not give 5 stars because I (only me) miss a social history, history about people, culture, arts and so... this is absent, though I understand as the book wanted to cover high politics not people.

I highly recommend this book!

Content:
- The Lost War
- The German revolution
- The Foundation of the New Republic
- The republic makes peace
- 1919-22: Years of crisis and uncertainty
- Hitler and republican instability
- Rurh occupation and inflation
- Toward recovery
- The Semblance of stability: 1924-29
- The End of the republic
-Hitler´s Success and Weimar´s failure

[David Hollingsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Research for my book continues. This was a short but somewhat dry history of the Weimar Republic and the rise of the Nazis. The writer was a liberal British historian who firmly believed in liberal-capitalism, which permeates this work. Still, a handy read even if it's not the most electric read. Nicholls clearly knew his stuff, especially when it comes to the political culture of the Weimar Republic.

Overall I'd probably give this a 3.5. Usually I'd round up, but I do think there are other books I've given a 3.5 that I've rounded up to 4 that are are better than this, so I'm going down to 3 stars.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read and has some interesting analysis, plenty of footnotes and not overly long. It would benefit the reader if they knew a bit beforehand about the Weimar Republic, at least the basics otherwise it is likely one would get lost with the various competing factions and parties that were involved in German politics from 1918 - 1933.

This did fill in a few knowledge gaps of my own and worth a look for the more serious general reader or student of this subject.

[William Nist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short but concise work addressed the period in Germany history between the First World War and the appointment of Adoph Hitler as Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Up to the loss of the war, Germany was a constitutional Monarchy ruled by the Hohenzollern Kaiser Wilhelm. The book details the Revolution that brought the Social Democrats to power, and the gradual unwinding of the frail democracy. The youthful appeal of Hitler's Nationalistic Socialist party (NAZI)is chronicled. The destabilizing effects of the Great Depression of 1929 is identified as one of the principle elements in the unraveling of German democracy as well as the the Great inflation of 1923 and the Reparation issues that followed the War (even though the Allies ultimately forgave most of that debt).

If you want a concise history of this period, this book has much to recommend itself.