Ghost of Weimar Looms Over German Politics

The failures of the 1930s suggest Angela Merkel’s struggle to form a coalition will end sooner or later.
A Weimar Republic bank vault full of Deutsche Marks in 1923.Photographer: Albert Harlingue/Roger Viollet
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Across the cobbled square in the city of Weimar where Germany’s national assembly met in 1919, plans to mark that first, stumbling attempt at a democratic government have taken on greater significance in recent weeks.

The new center for events dedicated to the short-lived Weimar Republic is due to open in 2020, but it’s already a timely reminder of the past as the country struggles with political gridlock and the rise of the far right.