THE DECISION – Germany 1929 to 1934

  • What options were there on the road to fascism? Bestselling author Bisky captures the decisive years that shaped Germany's future.
  • A detailed and insightful portrayal of the decline of the Weimar Republic – a topic of immense topicality.
  • 20,000 copies sold!
  • English sample translation available.
  • Recommended by New Books in German (Goethe Institute).

In October 1929, the death of successful foreign minister Gustav Stresemann raised questions about the future of the republic. A fascist coalition was forming and took power in 1933. Farmers threw bombs, public finances faced growing deficits, and the parliamentary system seemed paralyzed. By summer 1930, the choice was between a democratic republic or a fascist state. What followed was the rise of radical forces, the disintegration of bourgeois circles, middle-class unrest, the arrogance of conservatives and nationalists who thought they could control Hitler, and fear of civil war. This led to the most criminal dictatorship of the 20th century.

Jens Bisky tells the story of how the Weimar Republic was destroyed in a whirlwind of hardship and anger, using the perspectives of the time's politicians, journalists, writers, lawyers, and officers. How did they view the situation, and what options did they have? This is a sweeping look at an extreme time that still affects the present.

"The historical dynamics are reflected in the narrative dynamics ... clever and vivid." DIE ZEIT

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Berlin
  • Release: 15.10.2024
  • ISBN: 978-3-7371-0125-7
  • 640 Pages
  • Author: Jens Bisky

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THE DECISION – Germany 1929 to 1934
Jens Bisky THE DECISION – Germany 1929 to 1934
Bernhardt Link / Farbtonwerk
© Bernhardt Link / Farbtonwerk
Jens Bisky

Jens Bisky , born in Leipzig in 1966, studied cultural sciences and German language and literature in Berlin. He wrote for the Berliner Zeitung and has been a staff writer for Süddeutsche Zeitung’s Feuilleton arts and culture section since 2001. He has also authored several well-received books, including Geboren am 13. August (2004),  Unser König: Friedrich der Große und seine Zeit (2011), and Berlin. Biographie einer großen Stadt  (2019). In 2017 he was awarded the Johann Heinrich Merck Prize by the German Academy for Language and Poetry for his literary criticism and essays.