The Weimar Years

Rise and Fall 1918–1933

By: Frank McDonough

Narrated by: Paul McGann

Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Established in 1918–19, in the wake of Germany’s catastrophic defeat in the First World War and the revolution that followed swiftly on its heels, the Weimar Republic ushered in widespread social reform, a radical cultural flowering and the most democratic conditions the German people had ever known.

At its beginning, Weimar held out the hope that democracy, stability and prosperity would take root in Germany, but it was beset by frequent changes of government, waves of economic upheaval and spasms of violence of increasing intensity between the forces of left and right. Agitation and assassination by rightwing nationalists – enraged by the severity of the Treaty of Versailles and the acceptance of its terms by liberal German politicians – formed a threatening descant to the conciliatory efforts of successive coalition governments. Ultimately, the instabilities of Weimar would lead to the appointment as German Chancellor of the Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler, who created a one-party dictatorship that abandoned the rule of law, democracy and civil rights. In the words of Gustav Stresemann, Germany’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning Foreign Minister from 1923 to 1929, Weimar democracy was ‘dancing on a volcano’.

The Weimar Years is a vivid and compelling narrative of a dramatic period in German history. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough covers the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in music, art, theatre and literature. McDonough places particular focus on the parliamentary history of Weimar, arguing that it was the failure of parliamentary democracy to bring stability that eroded public confidence and allowed the power of the elected Reichstag to gradually diminish, culminating in Hitler’s accession to power in January 1933.

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 volatility, a democracy can drift towards a form of authoritarian rule that eventually destroys it.

©2023 Frank McDonough (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Excellent overview

Changed a lot of preconceptions I had about Weimar. A little light on cultural matters, but the detail and analysis of the constantly changing political environment well outweighs that minor quibble.

Wonderful narrative, underpinned by a good range of primary and secondary sources, as well as electoral data.

Well narrated, compelling thesis, definitely a great guide to the political history of the Weimar republic

An excellent history of the time period

This is a very detailed, systematic study of the Weimar Era. I really enjoyed the fact that it was divided by years instead of themes.
I wish I could give it a sixth star for its analysis of my favorite movie (Metropolis).
As an added bonus, Paul McGann’s narration is superb. His pronunciation of the various German words and phrases is flawless and unfaltering. Often when narrators come to foreign text in a book, they pause briefly or seem to stumble; not so with Paul McGann.
I definitely recommend The Weimar Years to anyone interested in either the time period or history in general.

Depth

This guy as an author is goated. I have all three Weimar and hitler years , super in depth coverage. Easily one of my favorite series. You can listen to anything narrated by Paul mcgann

A good picture of the Weimar government

I have been looking for more information about the nature of the Weimar government than I had been getting from what I had seen and read about the rise of the Nazis. This book does a good job in explaining how the leaders of the Weimar Republic did and did not function and thus took themselves down the path of fostering the ability of Hitler and the Nazi party to attract voters so that Hitler could demand to be made chancellor and they ultimately handed him the power he sought that allowed him to lead Germany and the world into the horrors of a totalitarian dictatorship and a Second World War.

An in depth account and post mortem of the Weimar Republic

For those who are interested in the events between the Great War and the rise of the Nazi Regime, this is the most definitive audiobook to listen to. Its narration is clear and soothing, and it gives an accurate and engaging description and explanation for the events that preceded the rise and fall of the short lived experiment of German democracy.