Germany, 1914-1933: Politics, Society and Culture takes a fresh and critical look at a crucial period in German history. Rather than starting with the traditional date of 1918, the book begins with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, and argues that this was a pivotal turning point in shaping the future successes and failures of the Weimar Republic.
Combining traditional political narrative with new insights provided by social and cultural history, the book reconsiders such key questions as:
- How widespread was support for the war in Germany between 1914 and 1918?
- How was the war viewed both from above, by leading generals, admirals and statesmen, and from below, by ordinary soldiers and civilians?
- What were the chief political, social, economic and cultural consequences of the war? In particular, did it result in a brutalisation of German society after 1918?
- How modern were German attitudes towards work, family, sex and leisure during the 1920s? What accounts for the extraordinary richness and experimentalism of this period?
The book also provides a thorough and comprehensive discussion of the difficulties faced by the Weimar Republic in capturing the hearts and minds of the German people in the 1920s, and of the causes of its final demise in the early 1930s.
Matthew Stibbe is Reader in History at Sheffield Hallam University. He has published widely in the field of First World War studies and modern German history, and his books include British Civilian Internees in Germany: The Ruhleben Camp, 1914-18 (2008) and Women in the Third Reich (2003).
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Map of Weimar Germany
Introduction
1 The War From Above
The Burgfrieden
The War on Land and at Sea, 1914-1916
Bethmann Hollweg and the Civilian War Leadership, 1914-1917
Wilhelm II and the Generals
2 The War From Below
The Food Question
Home Front and Fighting Front
Strikes and Political Demonstrations
The Revolution of November 1918
3 Political and Psychological Consequences of the War
A Fragile Post-War Consensus
The Extreme Left
The Anti-Republican Right
Germany in the early 1920s: A Violent Society?
4 Economy and Society in the 1920s
Big Business, Labour and the State
The Urban Poor
The Middle Classes
The Countryside
5 Weimar Culture
Art and Politics in the Weimar Republic
Class, Leisure and Mass Consumption
Sex and Sexuality
The Jewish Question
6 The Final Years of the Republic
The Crisis of Democracy
The Failure of Anti-Fascism
The Rise of the Nazis
Hitler, Hindenburg and the End of Weimar
Conclusion
Chronology
Glossary
Bibliography
About the Author :
Matthew Stibbe is Reader in History at Sheffield Hallam University. He has published widely in the field of First World War studies and modern German history, and his books include British Civilian Internees in Germany: The Ruhleben Camp, 1914-18 (2008) and Women in the Third Reich (2003).
Review :
"Clear, concise, thought-provoking... This topical introduction works very well in setting the scene, explaining different approaches and stimulating further in-depth study."
- Times Higher Education
