The unification of Germany was to destabilize European affairs in the late Nineteenth Century, making WWI inevitable and sowing the seeds for WWII. The author provides a very competent review of the way in which Germany responded to its defeat in WWI and how that presented the opportunities for Hitler and the NSDP to come to power, creating the inevitability of a new and terrible war – Very Highly Recommended

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Firetrench

I’m going to say that I learnt a lot from this book particularly about Hans Von Seekt, Ludendorff and the Weimar Republic, but I’m going to say you best knowing a bit about the subject first, mainly because it can be confusing for the beginner and it was a generally a confusing time especially when you consider how many governments there were in the 1920’s. The book does feel very academic and formal, but it is still an excellent read, it has an excellent number of conclusions and the author Karen Schaefer has done a great job indeed, she has clearly looked into this subject deeply. The notes section and the bibliography at the back of the book is very good indeed and comprehensive, certainly plenty if you would like to take your reading forward. An excellent book, well worth the read but might not be for everyone. 4 stars out of 5.

⭐⭐⭐⭐


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UK Historian

An important book worth reading for students of the Weimar Republic.

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Beating Tsundoku

The origins of this book as a thesis tends to make the reading of it hard work but it is actually well worth it.
At its centre is the struggle in the post war Reichswehr under the Weimar Republic for the soul of its Army. Von Seekt was determined to disengage from the pre-war elevated position of the Army as an active partner within the Imperial leadership, to something related to Clausewitz’s principles as the Army as an instrument of the political state. The clarity of his thinking in such difficult post war conditions was brave to the extent that he foresaw the problem of soldiers and officers promoting political allegiances and therefore the need for the Army to be politically neutral. He also recognised the difficulties that the Treaty of Versailles imposed on German military competence and looked for ways beyond the treaty to develop a small but well-armed and equipped professional army based on the principles of manoeuvre that could become the core of a conscripted army if circumstances demanded. By the time he retired in 1926 he had succeeded in his objective in laying the foundation of the Reichswehr but recognised that some of his junior officers who were to later become eminent, retained regressive views. His philosophy that the Army must be subservient to the State was valid for a balanced democracy. However, it failed as increasingly the German voters supported extremist parties and of course eventually the NSDAP gained power through the ballot box. At that point the Clausewitz theories that Von Seekt promoted, positioned the Reichswehr as a tool of the civilian government, and the rest we know.

Michael McCarthy. Battlefield Guide

Michael McCarthy