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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'Astonishing. A masterful account of the Weimar Republic that is the best I have ever read' -
Peter Frankopan'Magisterial, terrifyingly relevant and yet also a celebration of Weimar's delicious decadence' -
Simon Sebag Montefiore'Yet again McDonough shows why he is one of the best chronicles of 20th century Germany' -
Dan SnowThe prequel to Frank McDonough's bestselling
Hitler Years series, covering the dramatic era of German history that culminated in the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in 1933.
Established in the wake of German defeat in the First World War, the Weimar Republic held out the hope that democracy, stability and prosperity would take root in Germany. From the start, however, it was beset by political and economic upheaval and spasms of violence between left and right. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough describes the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in Weimar's flourishing cultural sphere. McDonough places particular focus on the parliamentary history of Weimar, arguing that it was the failure of parliamentary democracy to bring stability that allowed the power of the elected Reichstag to diminish, leading to Hitler's accession to power.
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 instability, a democracy can drift towards a form of authoritarian rule that eventually destroys it.
About the author
Professor Frank McDonough is an internationally renowned expert on the Third Reich. He studied
history at Balliol College, Oxford and gained a PhD from Lancaster University. Now based in Liverpool, McDonough has written many critically acclaimed books, including The Gestapo, and most recently The Hitler Years, a two-volume history charting the rise and fall of the Nazi regime, and its prequel The Weimar Years. Holocaust is the latest instalment in his best-selling series on the history of Germany.
Summary
McDonough places particular focus on the parliamentary history of Weimar, arguing that it was the failure of parliamentary democracy to bring stability that allowed the power of the elected Reichstag to diminish, leading to Hitler's accession to power.
Foreword
The prequel to Frank McDonough's The Hitler Years, covering the period of German history 1918-1945.
