Category=GTC
Category=JPA
Category=NHB
Category=NHD
cultural history
democratic institutions
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
extremism
german intellectuals
interwar Germany
multipartisan cooperation
national identity
pluralism
political centrism
political polarization
political stability
progressive politics
Weimar Republic
Product details
- ISBN 9781487560089
- Weight: 540g
- Dimensions: 159 x 235mm
- Publication Date: 03 Mar 2026
- Publisher: University of Toronto Press
- Publication City/Country: CA
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
(Re)Centring the Weimar Republic explores how centrist German politicians and intellectuals sought to foster stability and cooperation during the interwar period.
In contrast to the persistent image of a democracy “hollowed out” by divisiveness and political extremism, this book offers a new perspective on the Republic’s efforts to define and hold an ambitious and productive middle ground. Leading scholars and cultural practitioners from the fields of history, German studies, philosophy, literary studies, and music document the progressive activities of the Weimar Republic’s “centre” to answer the question: how can political centrism employ social, cultural, and democratic institutions to resist polarization and extremism? This book’s three sections reveal how key thinkers worked to balance pluralism and national identity, how politicians struggled to hold centrist positions across right-leaning, centrist, and left-leaning parties, and how contemporary culture today interprets those efforts for audiences in the press, the museum, and the concert hall.
In today’s age of stumbling democratic institutions and increasing political polarization, (Re)Centring the Weimar Republic offers a historical touchstone for evaluating liberal democracy pushed to its limits and the multipartisan efforts to reinforce its principles.
In contrast to the persistent image of a democracy “hollowed out” by divisiveness and political extremism, this book offers a new perspective on the Republic’s efforts to define and hold an ambitious and productive middle ground. Leading scholars and cultural practitioners from the fields of history, German studies, philosophy, literary studies, and music document the progressive activities of the Weimar Republic’s “centre” to answer the question: how can political centrism employ social, cultural, and democratic institutions to resist polarization and extremism? This book’s three sections reveal how key thinkers worked to balance pluralism and national identity, how politicians struggled to hold centrist positions across right-leaning, centrist, and left-leaning parties, and how contemporary culture today interprets those efforts for audiences in the press, the museum, and the concert hall.
In today’s age of stumbling democratic institutions and increasing political polarization, (Re)Centring the Weimar Republic offers a historical touchstone for evaluating liberal democracy pushed to its limits and the multipartisan efforts to reinforce its principles.
Katharina Clausius is an associate professor of comparative literature and intermedial studies at the Université de Montréal.
Claudia Clausius is an associate professor of English at King’s University College/Western University.
