This website, or online module, is an educational resource that explores the history of the Weimar Republic in Germany, 1919-1933. We hope you will use the essays, primary source documents, and other resources to deepen your understanding of this important historical period. Although the Weimar Republic is a unique event in history, studying a democracy that failed can be instructive as we look at the societies in which we live today.
In this online module you will find a variety of resources:
- Readings. The four essays in this module, all written by professor Paul Bookbinder, University of Massachusetts, Boston, provide an overview of some of the main themes and issues of the Weimar Republic:
- Why Study Weimar? This essay is an excellent summary of the main issues we examine in this module. It is helpful for teachers and students looking for a succinct understanding of the time period.
- 1929: A Turning Point During the Weimar Republic. This essay presents a snapshot of Weimar through the lens of the pivotal year, 1929. Although we have the tendency to want to look at the Weimar Republic as a slow steady decline from the promise of democracy to its ultimate collapse, in reality, there were successes and failures throughout the fourteen years. This essay helps to complicate and deepen our thinking.
- Weimar Political Parties. For the first time in German history, political parties had real power during the Weimar Republic. This essay provides an overview and descriptions of each of the major political parties. It can be best utilized in conjunction with some of the political party posters and platforms found in the primary source section, as well as the interactive election chart exercise found in the Lessons and Activities section.
- Choices and Consequences in Weimar Germany. Facing History and Ourselves content stresses the premise that history is not inevitable, but is rather the consequence of choices made by individuals and groups. Each of us makes choices, large and small, in our lives every day. Whether that choice is to act or not to act, still it is a choice. This essay applies this concept to the history of Weimar Germany. Professor Bookbinder chooses a few key examples of decision points during the fourteen year history that illustrate the idea that the collapse of democracy was not inevitable.
- Why Study Weimar? This essay is an excellent summary of the main issues we examine in this module. It is helpful for teachers and students looking for a succinct understanding of the time period.
- Primary Source Documents. Although the documents contained in this section are in no way offering a comprehensive look at the Weimar Republic, we hope that we have chosen many key documents to help paint a rich portrait of the time period. The primary source documents are divided into five main sub-categories:
- Culture (Bauhaus, Cabaret Song, Film, Painting/Drawing/Etching, Sculpture)
- Economics (1919-1924: Inflation, 1924-1929: Golden Years, 1929-1933: Depression)
- Politics & War (General, Political Party Platforms, Political Party Posters, World War I, Treaty of Versailles)
- Society (Antisemitism, Gender, Homophobia, Racism)
- Religion
Each sub-category page has a short description. Many of the documents also have descriptions, questions to help stimulate classroom discussions, and links to Facing History and Ourselves lessons or other resources which may be useful.
- Weimar Personalities. Like the primary source documents, this section offers only a sample of key figures from Weimar Germany. We have tried to select a group that offers a wide spectrum of political and social perspectives.
- Weimar Timeline. This section lists key events during the Weimar period, 1919-1933.
- Lessons and Activities. In this section of the module, you will find Facing History and Ourselves lessons and activities. Some of these lessons use content directly from this module, while others rely on other Facing History resources, including readings from our resource book, Holocaust and Human Behavior.
- Teacher PATHS. This website allows educators who are a part of Facing History's teacher network the ability to create a PATH, or personalized “mini website.” The PATH tool allows teachers to pick and choose only those resources within the module—readings, primary source documents, etc.—that are pertinent to the specific content she or he is teaching. Once completed, the teacher simply sends her or his students onto the site where they can easily access the PATH. For more information on joining our worldwide network of educators, click here. For more information on creating a PATH, click here.
- Additional Resources. This section contains links to relevant Facing History online, print and video resources, as well as resources outside of Facing History, which offer a wealth of information on the Weimar Republic.
We hope that you find this module helpful as you explore the lessons of this important time period when a fragile democracy failed, ultimately leading to one of the darkest moments in human history. Please contact us with any comments, questions or feedback.