Neighbors and Enemies
The Culture of Radicalism in Berlin, 1929–1933

An account of the collapse of the Weimar Republic from the perspective of individual workers.

Pamela E. Swett (Author)

9780521834612, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 September 2004

358 pages, 19 b/w illus. 1 table
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.1 cm, 0.68 kg

'Pamela Swett's fine new study of neighbourhood radicalism in late Weimar Berlin not only fleshes out our current knowledge but recasts it. Swett demonstrates how to write a history that fully incorporates gender and generation. … the stories of neighbourhood battles and denunciations are riveting.' The German History Society

Neighbors and Enemies provides an interpretation of the collapse of Germany's first democracy, the Weimar Republic, which ended with the naming of Adolf Hitler as chancellor in January 1933. This study focuses on individual workers in Berlin and their strategies to confront the crises in their daily lives introduced by the transformation of society after 1918 and intensified during the Depression. Tensions between the sexes and generations, among neighbours, within families, and between citizens and their political parties led to the emergence of a radical - and at times violent - neighbourhood culture that signalled a loss of faith in political institutions. Swett offers an interpretation that marries a history of daily life in Depression-era Berlin with an analysis of the meanings of local politics in workers' communities, shifting our focus for understanding Weimar's collapse from the halls of governmental power to the streets of the urban core.

List of figures and plates
List of abbreviations
Note on sources
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Neighborhoods and metropolis
2. Rebellion at home and in the community
3. Republicanism or radicalism: appeals to Berlin's workers
4. Conflict and cooperation: political independence in Berlin's neighborhoods
5. The logic of violence
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Sociology: work & labour [JHBL], Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ], Violence in society [JFFE], Social & cultural history [HBTB], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], European history [HBJD]