This book examines the founding of the Weimar Republic following Germany's defeat in World War I, offering hopes for democracy, stability, and prosperity. However, from the outset, the Weimar Republic faced political and economic turmoil, as well as violent clashes between the left and right. Each year, from 1918 to 1933, Frank McDonough describes the main events in internal and external politics as well as the personalities who shaped them, while also providing an overview of developments in the cultural sector of Weimar.