Reinterpreting the Rise of the Nazis: A New History of the Weimar Republic

• The rise of Nazism was not primarily driven by the masses' infatuation with anti-capitalist promises during economic crisis, but by the calculated support of German economic elites and "democratic" conservative parties.
• Historian Johann Chapoutot's new book challenges the conventional narrative that obscures the role of the ruling class in dismantling the Weimar Republic.

The Role of Elites and Conservatives

• Traditional conservative and liberal parties used far-right violence as a tool to dismantle the republic and neutralize left-wing opposition.
• The election of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg in 1925 empowered a monarchist who sought to replace parliamentary democracy with a government of national concentration.
• Elite groups, including industrialists, media moguls, and the aristocracy, provided social legitimacy and material support to the Nazi movement to protect their interests against labor reforms and socialism.

The Failure of the Social Democrats

• The Social Democratic Party (SPD) failed due to a strategy of choosing the "lesser evil," which resulted in ineffective anti-fascism and compliance with authoritarian decrees.
• Internal sectarianism against communists crippled resistance, leading to a policy of "toleration" (Tolerierungspolitik) that allowed right-wing forces to consolidate power.
• Contemporaries like Trotsky and later historian Franz Neumann criticized the SPD for its inability to act decisively when confronted with the reality of the impending dictatorship.

Implications for Today

• Chapoutot argues that the far-right emerged as the spearhead of a "conservative revolution" that sought to crush social safety nets and labor protections.
• By framing the current rise of the far-right in Europe against the pattern of Weimar, the author warns that contemporary liberal establishments may again view far-right movements as "respectable" tools for curbing class struggle and maintaining their own power.