The Weimar Republic 1919-1933 (Lancaster Pamphlets) [Paperback]

Ruth Henig (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415132843 | ISBN-13: 978-0415132848 | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

This book represents a much-needed reappraisal of Germany between the wars, examining the political, social and economic aims of the new republic, their failure and how they led to Nazism and eventually the Second World War. The author includes:
* an examination of the legacy of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles
* discussion of the early years of crisis culminating in the Ruhr Invasion and the Dawes Settlement
* assessment of the leadership of Stresemann and Bruning
* exploration of the circumstances leading to the rise of Hitler
* an outline of the historiography of the Weimar Republic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Henig approaches the problem from the opposite perspective and makes analysis and interpretation the driving motor behind her narrative of the republic. The republic was an extraordinarly complex entity, and Henig succeeds impressively in capturing the multiple levels of causality at play in ever major development and in integrating these levels to provide a compelling explanation of the political dynamics of the republic. In the crowded political landscape of the time, Henig has an unerring ability to identify the decisive events, explain why they were important, and illustrate how they affected later developments..

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415132843
• ISBN-13: 978-0415132848
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A short, clear and concise overview of the Republic., September 23, 1998

By 

Theron Fairchild ([e-mail]) (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Weimar Republic 1919-1933 (Lancaster Pamphlets) (Paperback)

"The Weimar Republic" is a quick read into the complicated history of Germany's first attempt at parliamentary democracy. Henig focuses on domestic political and economic developments to provide students and the general reader with an overview of the period.

Such issues discussed are domestic responses to the Versailles Treaty, the failure of the left to deal realistically with the problems of liberal and mass government, the inability of the bourgeoisie parties to find mass support for party rule, and the designs of the right to undermine the parliamentary system altogether. Within this framework Henig includes all the major points such as nationalism, patriotism, workers unions, the landed class, and the successive economic crises that plagued the Republic. At the same time, the book also provides clues to the rise of parliamentary government in post-1945 West Germany.