The Weimar Republic: Through the Lens of the Press

by Torsten Palmer, Hendrik Neubauer (Editor)

The Weimar Republic in Germany, its first parliamentary democracy, was an epoch of political turbulence, economic instability and cultural excitement. From today's viewpoint, the era can be seen as both a role model and a warning from history. This volume investigates the period in word and also in picture, including photographic perspectives and prominent views and opinions from 1919 to 1932. Eminent Swedish historian Torsten Palmér taps the opinions of important personalities from the spheres of the arts as well as economies and politics and provides many factual, enlightening commentaries to guide the reader through the photojournalism and writings of a fascinating era.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic work of photographic history. Learned a lot about the tumultuous time of the Weimar Republic.

Upset about Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg being murdered. Upset about the Spartacus Uprising being crushed. Upset about the Bavarian Soviet Republic falling. Effing hate the Freikorps! Angry at all those in power who made it easier and easier, incrementally, knowingly, for Hitler to take power.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me as my “ideal coffee table book” by someone who knew me well (but had not read the book). When I have had a coffee table, I have, in fact, used it that way, and I have also slowly made my way through the pictures and the narrative. It has been well worth the effort. Most people who buy this probably just look at the photos, and occasionally check the captions or bits of the writing when something catches their eye, which is fine, but they are missing out on some rather impressive synthesis work as well. The authors are writing for a general audience, but they have done their homework, especially in terms of the history of photo-journalism in Germany. Even specialists in German history may find they have something to learn from the text, and the dramatic photographs throughout the volume illustrate developments in journalism effectively and interestingly. For those who know little or nothing about the Weimar period, the book will also give enough basic understanding of the events documented to help them appreciate this fascinating time, but its real value is in the ways it considers the portrayal of German life in the press, with the distortions and veracities that brought to the newspaper-readers of the time.

I applaud the editors for choosing not to end the volume with images of the rise of the Third Reich; the standard conclusion of any book about Weimar, which always seems to strengthen the “Sonderweg” argument of the inevitability of democracy’s fall. There are Nazi marches and activities shown in previous chapters (just as they were in the press at the time), but the final chapter is a contemplative piece called “Strolling in Berlin,” which focuses on the city which was the primary focus of photo-journalism throughout the period, and the kind of mythos that was built around it then. As a short-term resident of the new Berlin, this was one of my favorite parts.

Less useful in general was the appendix, which was an alphabetized series of short bios of individuals, mainly photographers, writers, and politicians (about 50% of whom are Nazis). Perhaps for a neophyte this would be useful to keep certain names straight, but the information given is so scanty that it would be of minimal help. Furthermore, many of the bios focus on the lives of these individuals after the fall of Weimar, so that it is difficult to connect their lives to the photographs, and the writers are less impressive in their accuracy when dealing with other periods, particularly the Third Reich. This is a minor consideration, however, in a book that is otherwise both beautiful and interesting.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a coffee table book full of photos of Germany from 1919 through 1933, before that dumb Hitler guy took over. This time period of Germany through the lens of the press is interesting because it was then that the 35mm snapshot camera was invented (the first Leicas) and journalists were just learning to use as a tool. Plus a whole bunch of upheaval was happening at the time in politics, science, art and culture - all nicely reproduced in this huge book. Not something you would just sit down and read though, because of its size. It's something I look at now and then and always come back to.