Weimar Republic Critique - part 1

As I work my way through my study of the Weimar Republic, I feel the need to get down some initial thoughts and questions.....

Essential Questions to Consider as I read/viewed (per Phredd M-W)

(http://www2.facinghistory.org/campus/weimar.nsf/home?OpenFrameset&login=1)

1. Which of these readings and materials best communicates the idea of the fragility of democracy during this period in Germany's history?

2. How does the Weimar Republic inform us about our own democracy and those newer democracies today?

3. Which of the readings and materials may be most helpful for educators using with students?


My Connections...

1. Is there any form of government that does not work to exploit "we and they" dichotonomies in their society for the purposes of political gains?


2. How can the the Weimar module and readings be used in conjunction with US History courses where teachers are required to talk about the Revolutionary Era? Can connection be made to Weimar Republic and democracies in America? What about the relationships of

• Cherokee Democracy ("The 5 Civilized Nations")


• The Haudenosaunee Democracy


• The origin of the USA as a democracy

3. How can we use this question presented by Paul Bookbinder - "In a democracy, what is the proper role of nationalism with its symbols, uniforms, music, and poetry? "

• compare/contrast it with nationalism in USA after 9/11/01 and the backlash against artists that spoke out against Bush and the war


• the role of creative movements in USA vs. cultural movements in Weimar during that time period

4. How was terrorism defined in Weimar vs. how it's defined today?

5. I think the sections on the module under SOCIETY can be used as a base for having students conduct research in those areas as it relates to US history (antisemitism, education, gender, homophobia, racism).

6.What does democracy mean today?

7. What has kept the USA from becoming a totalitarian government?

• This is a great way to use Weimar to study constitutional law or the role of individuals in a democracy
• this can be a tool to look at the process of creating laws, enforcing laws and using laws to justify wrongdoing

8. Why not create an activity where the students can compare-contrast the political parties of Weimar Republic to those of the United States (past or present)? They could create little magazines, comic books, charts or even political cartoons.

9. Starting the Weimar study by having students look at and/or create global timelines would be great. These timelines could hang throughout the unit so that students could add to it as they learned new facts about the period.

10. Why not do a cultural mini-lesson on the arts and artists of Weimar Republic vs. Harlem Renaissance?