The Weimar century

"This remarkable book describes how a group of German intellectuals who were persecuted by Hitler helped defeat Fascism and redefined the postwar world. Drawing on groundbreaking research and bringing key figures to life, Udi Greenberg shows how these individuals created a Cold War community in the West that defeated Communism and set the stage for our contemporary era. This is one of the most important books written on the history of our times."--Jeremi Suri, author of Liberty's Surest Guardian "Although postwar Germans often protested that 'Bonn is not Weimar, ' Udi Greenberg allows us to see the extent to which they erred, but in a surprising way. Examining the critical role five emigres played in establishing the democratic culture of West Germany, Greenberg shows that their experiences before being forced by the Nazis to leave the country still informed their thinking after they returned. Greenberg demonstrates how the constructive lessons of their Weimar past, refracted through exile in America, enabled the political miracle of the Federal Republic."--Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley "An extraordinary and highly original study of two historical fronts: the fate of German political theorists exiled by Hitler, and the shaping of American Cold War ideology by those same Weimar intellectuals. With his remarkable archival discoveries and brilliant interpretations, Udi Greenberg has written a dramatic book that will reshape scholarship."--Susannah Heschel, author of The Aryan Jesus "Dramatizing the exile of Germans to a United States about to rise to global leadership after World War II, this ingeniously conceived study shows how these intellectuals ushered much of the world into their 'Weimar century.' In our era of transnational and global history, Udi Greenberg demonstrates that traffic in ideas across long distances needs to be studied in both directions. No other book does what this one does--and with such impressive success."--Samuel Moyn, Harvard University "The Weimar Century is a lucid, balanced, and carefully researched book about five German intellectuals who developed ideas of democracy and anti-Communism in the Weimar era. Demonstrating a worldly sensitivity, it shows how these intellectuals, as emigres to the United States, came to exercise tremendous influence over the ideological and strategic self-understanding of the West during the Cold War."--Peter E. Gordon, Harvard University