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left to right: State Premier Philipp Scheidemann, Justice Minister Otto Landsberg, President Friedrich Ebert, Defense Minister Gustav Noske and Economy Minister Rudolf Wissell (black and white photo)
Image: akg-images/picture alliance

Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic refers to the phase of the first parliamentary democracy in Germany from 1918 to 1933, which ended when the National Socialists seized power.

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Reports & Analysis

A woman and man enjoy a cigarette while staring into each other's eyes

Lost Nazi-era novel becomes bestseller

Lost Nazi-era novel becomes bestseller

Sebastian Haffner's forgotten 1932 romance novel set amid Hitler's ominous rise to power is now a literary sensation.
CultureJuly 1, 2025
Scheidemann makes a speech from a window of the Reich Chancellery

Protect democracy!

Protect democracy!

German history shows us that democracy needs safeguards. Even today.
CultureFebruary 8, 202513:21 min
Hitler is mobbed by supporters while standing in a car during a rally

Could Adolf Hitler's seizure of power have been prevented?

Could Adolf Hitler's seizure of power have been prevented?

Hitler's rise to power on January 30, 1933 changed world history. A new Berlin exhibition imagines other possibilities.
CultureJanuary 30, 2023
A line of people wearing hats, standing along a street in Berlin.

1923: How Weimar combatted hyperinflation

1923: How Weimar combatted hyperinflation

100 years ago, prices in Germany were soaring by 50% each month. How did the young republic rein in inflation?
HistoryJanuary 1, 2023
Walther Rathenau

Meet Germany's only Jewish foreign minister

Meet Germany's only Jewish foreign minister

Assassinated by terrorists in 1922, Walther Rathenau remains the German government's most prominent Jewish member ever.
HistoryFebruary 1, 2022
Friedrich Ebert

Why Friedrich Ebert is still relevant today

Why Friedrich Ebert is still relevant today

Born 150 years ago today, Germany's first democratically elected head of state is still very present in the public eye.
CultureFebruary 4, 20217 images
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