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

    Frank McDonough

    Apollo, pp. 656, £35

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