Available Formats
Debates on the German Revolution of 1918-19
By (Author) Matthew Stibbe
Manchester University Press
Manchester University Press
1st September 2023
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
European history: medieval period, middle ages
943.0851
Paperback
312
Width 138mm, Height 216mm, Spine 17mm
363g
In November 1918 a revolution overthrew the old imperial system in Germany and inaugurated a republic. The revolution was formally completed in August 1919 when the social democrat Friedrich Ebert was sworn in as president.
By this time, however, many of the revolutions original aims and intentions had been swallowed up by new political concerns and lived experiences. For contemporaries the meaning of 9 November changed, becoming increasingly contested between rival parties, military experts and scholars.
This book examines how the debate on the revolution has evolved from August 1919 to the present day. It takes the reader through the ideological battles of the 1920s and 30s into the equally politicised historical writing of the cold war period. It ends with a consideration of the marginalisation of the revolution in academic research since the 1980s, and its revival from 2010.
Matthew Stibbe is Professor of Modern European History at Sheffield Hallam University