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The Weimar Years

Rise and Fall 1918–1933

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The Weimar Years

By: Frank McDonough
Narrated by: Paul McGann
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents The Weimar Years by Frank McDonough, read by Paul McGann.

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

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 Fu¨hrer 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. 20th Century Europe Germany Military Modern War Imperialism Winston Churchill Hungary Interwar Period

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All stars
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Food srory and pleasant to listen to narrator, even at speed, except it chars when Reichstag is such a frequent, important word in the book and the narrator doesn't care about checking pronunciation. It is Reichs-tag, not "Reich-shtag". docked 2 performance stars for that.

interesting history

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A comprehensive narrative of the Weimar Republic covering the political upheaval and cultural aspects.Brilliantly narrated! Would fully recommend!

Fantastic prequel

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Too much detail of early politics and political parties who were irrelevant to events and developments.

Too much arithmetical detail in the early chapters made it difficult to focus on particular aspects of contemporary politics.

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The Weimar years are vividly brought to life in this week researched history of the period. It skillfully avoid the trap of treating Weimar Germany as little more than a prelude to Nazism or a warning from the past, and addressed the period on its own merits without moralising. The depth of research gives life to a sometimes dry political topic. Possibly a touch heavy for an introductory work, but well worth a listen.

A deep and modern history

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Really enjoyed this book as a way to explain how germany got from losing one war to the path to another. Great narration too. Highly recommended to anyone who cares about our future.

Warnings are right there

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Excellent detailed account of a history full of bad decisions made by awful and incompetent people. Wonderfully written, with a exceptional narration.

Excellent

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A good introduction to this fascinating period of history. Paul McGann’s calm and thoughtful narration is spot on. Some narrators have a grating voice but he is lovely to listen to. Those who like a lot of detail on election results and the ins and outs of treaties will really enjoy this book. Personally I was hoping for more on the social and cultural aspects of the period - the sections on Bauhaus and Metropolis were highlights but would have liked more of this. A good book however and will listen to the next 2 if only for Paul’s wonderful narration of this eventful period in modern history.

Lots of detail and excellent narration

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This is a scholarly, thorough book and at the same time it is also very interesting, incorporating not only the politics of the time but the culture and social history. Beautifully read by Paul McGann

Outstanding

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Paul McGann’s voice is so good and the way he presents the complex story helps make it feel uncluttered. Frank is a master at getting to the facts and presenting them in a way that steps over the details that many get lost in. Terrific and the very best explanation of how the democracy fluttered and ultimately led to the Nazi project of mass murder.

How clearly the facts were presented with an explanation that made sense to the uninformed (me)!

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I like very much when a historian does not attempt to tell history backward by lecturing the participants on what they "should" have been able to predict about the future. McDonough is refreshingly free from this tendency and does a 1st rate job of pulling the listener into the realities that were being dealt with at the time, and letting the events unfold without pre-judgement. There's a tendency in many history books to skip over the interwar years, or regard them with a certain inevitability, and this book does a creditable job of highlighting how many smart, well intentioned people worked very hard to try to avoid a repetition of the horror of the Great War in a situation where every solution threw up an additional problem .

The narrator is good too,

Excellent history of the period.

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