Katja Hoyer Katja Hoyer

Why did the Weimar Republic descend so rapidly into chaos?

Despite its democratic ideals and artistic creativity, 1920s Germany lacked both the flexibility and social cohesion necessary for functional politics, says Frank McDonough

Children playing with worthless banknotes in a German street in 1923. [Getty Images]
  • Comments

  • The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall, 1918-1933

    Frank McDonough

    Apollo, pp. 656, £35

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Subscribe today to get 3 months' delivery of the magazine, as well as online and app access, for only £3.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

  • Weekly delivery of the magazine
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Read next

Trending

Gareth Roberts

Life was better in the 1990s

Gareth Roberts
Does anyone else miss the nineties terribly? Everything seemed simpler in that pre-internet era of The Fast Show, the band Suede and heaving nightclubs. Twenty-five years ago today, one of the defining films of that decade – Notting Hill – held its premiere in London. In the years since, we’ve made progress, of sorts: technology

Because you read about 20th-century german history

Also by Katja Hoyer

Latest

Comments

A blooming good offer

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting the next 3 months for £3.

Already a subscriber? Log in