1923: The Forgotten Crisis in the Year of Hitler’s Coup
Mark Jones
May 2023 · Basic Books · Narrated by Matt Addis
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The astonishing year when German democracy faced crisis and near destruction.
1923 was one of the most remarkable years of modern European history. In January, France and Belgium militarily occupied Germany's economic heartland, the Ruhr; triggering a series of crises that almost spiralled out of control. Hyperinflation plunged millions into poverty. The search for scapegoats empowered political extremes. Hitler's populism ascended to national prominence. Communists, Nazis, separatists all thought that they could use the crises to destroy democracy.
None succeeded. 1923 was the year of Hitler's first victory - and his first defeat. Fanning the flames of instability, anti-government and antisemitic sentiment, the Nazis abortive yet pivotal putsch in a Munich beer hall failed when they were abandoned by their likeminded conservative allies.
Drawing on previously unseen sources, Mark Jones weaves together a thrilling and resonant narrative of German lives in this turbulent time. Tracing Hitler's rise, we see how political pragmatism and international cooperation eventually steered the nation away from total insurrection. A decade later, when Weimar democracy eventually succumbed to tyranny, the warnings from 1923 - rising of nationalist rhetoric, fragile European consensus, and underestimation the of the enemies of liberalism - became only too apparent.
This account of the republic's convulsions and survival offer a gripping image of a modern society in extreme crisis.
1923 was one of the most remarkable years of modern European history. In January, France and Belgium militarily occupied Germany's economic heartland, the Ruhr; triggering a series of crises that almost spiralled out of control. Hyperinflation plunged millions into poverty. The search for scapegoats empowered political extremes. Hitler's populism ascended to national prominence. Communists, Nazis, separatists all thought that they could use the crises to destroy democracy.
None succeeded. 1923 was the year of Hitler's first victory - and his first defeat. Fanning the flames of instability, anti-government and antisemitic sentiment, the Nazis abortive yet pivotal putsch in a Munich beer hall failed when they were abandoned by their likeminded conservative allies.
Drawing on previously unseen sources, Mark Jones weaves together a thrilling and resonant narrative of German lives in this turbulent time. Tracing Hitler's rise, we see how political pragmatism and international cooperation eventually steered the nation away from total insurrection. A decade later, when Weimar democracy eventually succumbed to tyranny, the warnings from 1923 - rising of nationalist rhetoric, fragile European consensus, and underestimation the of the enemies of liberalism - became only too apparent.
This account of the republic's convulsions and survival offer a gripping image of a modern society in extreme crisis.
About the author
Mark William Jones is Assistant Professor in History at University College Dublin. He is among the leading English language historians of modern Germany and a recognized authority on the history of the Weimar Republic.
He has appeared on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time and Irish radio's Talking History. Mark was educated at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Tübingen, and Cambridge University. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy and has held visiting fellowships at the Free University of Berlin and Bielefeld University. 1923 will be his first English language trade book.
He has appeared on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time and Irish radio's Talking History. Mark was educated at Trinity College Dublin, the University of Tübingen, and Cambridge University. He holds a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy and has held visiting fellowships at the Free University of Berlin and Bielefeld University. 1923 will be his first English language trade book.
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