The past in Weimar history

Abstract

This article examines Weimar Germany's public controversy about the Republic's place in German history. In a period that was seen by many contemporaries as a time deprived of historical context, all political parties tried to legitimise their actions and aims through the construction of very different historical traditions. Based on a wide range of primary sources, the article seeks to analyse this 'battle over the past' within the broader context of Weimar's political culture and the Republic's struggle for survival. © 2006 Cambridge University Press.