The Weimar Republic was born out of the ashes of World War I, following Germany's defeat and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in November 1918. The new democratic government, named after the city of Weimar where its constitution was drafted, sought to replace the imperial system with a parliamentary democracy.
However, the Republic faced enormous challenges from the outset. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, placed heavy reparations on Germany and imposed severe territorial losses, fueling national resentment and economic hardship. These conditions created a fertile ground for political extremism, with both the far left and far right vying for control.
It struck me that we are, as countries, are suffering under the horrors of our version of a Versailles Treaty: one where we are prevented from developing our nations due the the restrictions forced upon us by signing up to the Climate Change nonsense....
The Weimar Constitution, adopted in 1919, established Germany as a federal republic with a parliamentary system. It guaranteed civil liberties, universal suffrage for adults, and proportional representation in the Reichstag (parliament). The president was elected by popular vote and had significant powers, including the ability to appoint the chancellor and dissolve the Reichstag.
Some time ago, I watched a series on Netflix called " Babylon Berlin." It was set during the days of the Weimar Republic. It was raw, gritty, dark and often troubling. Explicit in its portrayal of the excesses that humanity can so often, like today, embrace or at the very least, tolerate or ignore.
I was struck by the divide between those that had so much and those that had so little. Those that lived in an artificial world fueled by drugs, sex, money, power and greed; and those who struggled to survive the horror that was their lives.
The sheer depravity and self indulgence of the " well heeled " in sharp contrast to those that provided " services" to feed their wanton debauchery at such a cost that they were left with no dignity and no hope.
It stirred me to consider how the fall of the Weimar Republic is not dissimilar to what we, as western nations, are about to confront. Head on.
So much that went wrong was tied to the thirst for money. The thirst for power and the quest for supremacy over the masses - no matter the cost to them - in short, a selfish elite who cared nought for the citizenry who slaved in order for those elite to satisfy their lust for sex, drugs, and the rock and roll of their self centred lifestyles.
Of course, it must be acknowledged that the crash of the American Stock Market in October 1929 was the death knell to the Weimar Republic. They had coasted along in a false sense of security for so long that they did not realise that their wealth was built, like a house of cards, on a weak foundation.
Much like today.
There were too many similarities to today for my liking.
We have willingly or unwittingly ( depending upon which side of the great divide between right and left you reside) dived into an underworld of sexual perversion, abortion at will, rule by transgenderism and homosexuality. We are surrounded by fentanyl and drug overdoses. People incapable of functioning. Bathed in the darkness of pedophilia, drag queens and the denigration of women and the demasculation of men.
Our military is in tatters. Our health care is in disarray. Our economies teetering on the brink of ruin. Votes are no longer worth the paper that they are not written on because of voting machines. Elections are a farce.
Religion and Faith are being corrupted by the very forces of evil that seek to destroy the bedrock of our countries. Racial tensions are being manufactured by our elite in order to further divide us.
Crime is out of control and our judicial systems are weak, corrupt and ineffectual.
Even our police are as guilty ( at times ) of brutal abuse of citizens. Fear reigns supreme and hope is a memory disappearing into the mists of time and becoming the stuff of stories about " I remember when... "
What, seriously, do we have to look forward to?
More of the same?
Or, will it be like Babylon Berlin, where it inevitably ends in catastrophe?
Like today in so many countries, the Weimar Republic was marred by political instability. It faced numerous challenges from both the left and the right. The far-left, including communists, sought to overthrow the government and establish a socialist state. The far-right, including nationalist and monarchist groups, opposed the Republic and blamed it for Germany's defeat in World War I and the humiliating Treaty of Versailles.
The Republic's downfall was ultimately sealed by the economic devastation of the Great Depression, which led to mass unemployment, hyperinflation, and widespread social unrest. These conditions allowed extremist parties to gain traction, with the Nazi Party becoming the largest party in the Reichstag by 1932. Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933 marked the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of the Third Reich.
Tomorrow, we will look at another warning from this chapter in history: the impact on healthcare.
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