The Weimar Republic in Germany, 1918-1933



Overview

The modern German state had been founded by the actions of the Prussian state by 1871. There was a long monarchical tradition which gave the Hohenzollern royal family a great deal of executive power before 1914. The First World War ended badly for Imperial Germany and a political revolution and a military mutiny overthrew the monarchy. In its place a democratic republic was created in the town of Weimar because of violence in Berlin. The new state had a very open democratic system which gave the vote to all adults. It was troubled from the very beginning because of the significant damage done to the German economy by the war and by punishing reparations imposed at the Versailles conference in 1919. The currency collapsed in 1923 and led to the disaster of hyper-inflation which wiped out the savings of many citizens. Between 1924 and 1929 the currency and economy was stabilised, but this stability depended on loans from US private banks in New York.

The period of the Weimar Republic was a time of great artistic and cultural innovation, which was ended with the rise to power of the Nazis in 1933. There had always been a crisis of legitimacy for the new democratic state. From 1919 politicians of the left and right did not fully support the state. When the Wall Street stock market crash caused New York banks to recall their loans, the German economy collapsed into economic depression and it experienced a great deal of unemployment. The economic conditions helped authoritarian parties of the left and right appeal to substantial parts of the population and further undermined support for democracy. Political violence became commonplace all over the country.

Hitler’s Nazi Party was voted into power in January 1933 and it immediately dismantled the democratic system and the structures of civil society. By 1935 a dictatorship was fully established. This eventually led to another world war in 1939 and to some of the worst violent atrocities in European history. We will consider what the Weimar Republic achieved and why it failed as a state. The main question has to be if it ever had a chance to succeed as a modern stable democracy.

Programme details

Courses starts: 20 Apr 2026

Week 1: A royal inheritance - Imperial Germany before 1914

Week 2: A republic born in the fire of war and revolution

Week 3: A pure democracy - early years and inflation, 1919-23

Week 4: Stability, foreign policy and hope, 1924-29

Week 5: A cultural superstar - art, architecture and literature

Week 6: Opposition to the Weimar Republic, 1919-29

Week 7: The Wall Street crash and the Great Depression, 1929-30

Week 8: The collapse of the republic, 1931-33

Week 9: Descent into barbarism from 1933

Week 10: Lost hopes, the achievements and failures of the republic

Certification

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points

Digital Certificate of Completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mr Carl Wade

Carl Wade originally studied history at Jesus College, Cambridge. He specialises in nineteenth and early twentieth-century history. Since 2004, he has written and taught courses for OUDCE in modern European history. He also teaches on summer school programmes for Oxford University.

Course aims

To examine the story of how the Weimar Republic in Germany was created and analyse why it collapsed after only fourteen years.

Course objectives:

To use presentations each week as the basis for discussion within the class and to provide some wider reading from different authors regarding the history of Germany after the First World War had ended.

Teaching methods

Teaching will involve verbal presentations and introductions to the topics using Power Point, but particular emphasis will be put on student input and interaction verbally. Contemporary written and visual sources will be used as a regular focus for discussion. At the end of each week students will be handed some limited tutor-prepared written material to introduce them to the topic and themes of the following week, and provide guidance for further relevant reading in their own time. They will be encouraged to use the department’s library resources to find relevant materials themselves, so that self-study can be pursued to the maximum possible degree. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. Have a good general understanding of the main developments and themes of the history of the Weimar Republic in Germany which will enable them to pursue further, more specialist, historical study of modern European history.

2. Demonstrate an ability to assess and evaluate a wide variety of arguments and sources with reference to the period, and be able to express their views interacting with other students.

3. Become familiar with the structures of academic learning and be confident presenting their argument in written form.

Assessment methods

Students will be offered the possibility of writing an assignment related to the topics considered during the term. This assignment will consist of one essay of approximately 1500 words. The assignment needs to be completed to a satisfactory standard in order for credit to be awarded for the course.

Students will also have the opportunity to submit a formative piece of up to 500 words.

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.

Application

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support