Republican Groups, Ideas, and Identities

By redirecting our attention away from the political extremes and to those who passionately supported and defended the republic, this chapter demonstrates that the republicans were an important factor within Germany’s political landscape. As energetic supporters for Weimar’s young state, they showed their commitment publicly at local and national level and actively mobilized support. The chapter examines the different republican groups and alliances, what they expected of the republic and how ambivalences and differences emerged within the republican camp. A focus on Weimar’s republicans as significant political agents does not rewrite the history of Weimar Republic as a success story, but it adds an important dimension to the history of Germany’s first republican democracy.