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by Frank McDonough (Author)
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 the wake of German defeat in the First World War, the Weimar Republic held out the hope that democracy, stability and prosperity would take root in Germany. From the start, however, it was beset by political and economic upheaval and spasms of violence between left and right. Year by year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough describes the major events in both domestic and foreign policy and the personalities who shaped them, together with developments in Weimar's flourishing cultural sphere. McDonough places particular focus on the parliamentary history of Weimar, arguing that it was the failure of parliamentary democracy to bring stability that allowed the power of the elected Reichstag to diminish, leading to Hitler's accession to power. 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 instability, a democracy can drift towards a form of authoritarian rule that eventually destroys it.
Author Biography
Professor Frank McDonough is an internationally renowned expert on the Third Reich. He studied history at Balliol College, Oxford and gained a PhD from Lancaster University. Now based in Liverpool, McDonough has written many critically acclaimed books, including The Gestapo, Sophie Scholl and most recently The Hitler Years, a two-volume history charting the rise and fall of the Nazi regime.
Number of Pages: 576
Dimensions: 1.5 x 7.8 x 5.1 IN
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
