Weimar’s Germany: Luxury, Glamour and Fascism

Anyone unfortunate enough to have studied philosophy in their undergraduate endeavours may be familiar with the concept of Hegelian dialectics. Succinctly, this concept describes how the conflict between two opposing ideas leads, through logical deduction, to a more sophisticated notion further down the line, a synthesis of the previous two. This is seen everywhere: when an argument with friends ends with common conclusions, when a work project is revised due to opposing feedback and, broadly, in the way societies are forced to readapt themselves when faced with existential challenges.

Following their defeat on the Great War, German society bore the brunt of the war blame, as Versailles dictated military occupation from Entente troops, hefty war reparations and costly demilitarization. The old Kaiser, a symbol of aristocratic rule, fell, and, in his place, a fragile republic rose. Popular perception regarding the interwar period usually reduces Weimar Germany to a mere prologue to the seemingly inevitable rise of fascism, with its skyrocketing inflation rates, fighting amongst militias on the streets and rampant conspiracy theories leaving fertile ground for a figure like Hitler to take the reins. Though mounting economic and social instability were indeed ever-present, the fifteen-year period that separates the republic’s proclamation to its unceremonious end gave the world a glimpse into a new modern society arising from the ashes of the old, a society forced to constantly readapt itself in the face of reactionary upheaval.

The newly proclaimed republic brought with it an aura of change that echoed all through the German land and struck especially the Berlin scene. The easing of censorship laws aligned with a modernist ethos that was starting to gain force not only in artistic circles but also in popular culture, evidenced clearly in the nightlife of the capital. As people flocked to the cities in search for work, services replaced the industries of yore giving rise to a middle class of clerks. And as war debt forced the government to print more and more money, hyperinflation led to a frenzied attitude regarding finances, with the middle class and asset-owning elite, repressed by years of deprivation, choosing to spend their savings - before they lost their value - on entertainment and fun.

“A whole people was now indulging in what a few months earlier Cottard had been looking for in public places, in luxury and an abundant life, which he dreamed of without being able to satisfy his need, that is to say unbridled pleasure. Even though the price of goods was rising inexorably, people had never wasted so much money and while most of them lacked the essentials, they had never more effectively dissipated the superfluous.” ~ The Plague, Albert Camus

So, picture it: the dim lights of a coal-starved Berlin start illuminating the twilight as street hawkers pack up their things. You see in every wall, store front, electric post, mailbox and traffic isle, a collage of posters advertising the next fashion, urging you to vote for a certain political party, or inviting you in into the debauched underworld of the city at night. And as a chilly breeze advises you to return home, jazzy tunes push you towards a previously unknown corner bar, which you’ll only leave at dawn.

The police called the phenomenon “Dance Mania” as Berliners flocked to intimate cabarets not only as a means of escapism, but also seeking to come to terms with the new paradigm. Satirical revues interspliced with music acts and witty verses, lively and ironic, replaced the pompous and entitled operas of the 19th century, mocking the current political and literary climate, though always in a relatively cliché or kitsch fashion, guided by an apathetic public which sought unintellectual marketplace entertainment. And between Tangos and Foxtrots, poems and pantomime, city dwellers let go of their inhibitions engaging in the depravity that came to represent this period of the city.

Modern Salomes danced naked on the stages while poets rhapsodized long-winded pornographic songs to the delight of the masses. But sexual liberation didn’t come just in the friendly hand of a sex worker on the shoulder of a cabaret patron, as the Babylon of the West became known amongst travellers for both its libertine and groundbreaking views on tabu topics. British authors in Berlin comment excitedly on the “New Woman” that arose from the ashes of traditional female roles following the 1919’s approval of Women's suffrage. This “New Woman” could do what she liked as no path seemed to be closed to her. While women still earned a fraction of the remuneration of their male counterparts, the number of girls attending university, be it engineering, law or economics degrees, increased exponentially each year. The Reichstag had more female parliamentarians than any legislature in the world. A heightened level of social consciousness was fundamentally reshaping long-standing gender notions as more and more young ladies renounced housekeeping and motherhood in favour of personal objectives, interacting with the modern world in their own way. Many chose physical activity and sports to take control of their bodies while others pursued artistic endeavours, engulfing themselves into the nightlife world as transgressive and rebellious observers.

And the desire for equality paved the way for fashion androgyny. The long fluffy dresses that marked the Victorian perception of a lady were gradually stripped of their coatings, leaving only a skeleton: that simple garment with knee-length hemline hanging loosely from the body, disregarding curves, or shapes. Practical, minimalistic, modern. This coincided with the entrance of sportswear into the casual roster for women, pioneered by names such as Chanel or Patou. Sleeveless dresses of wool and cotton, heavily inspired by tennis, served as both fashionable and comfortable options for social gatherings. Some women preferred to express themselves in more boyish looks, ornamenting high-waisted trousers and suit-like dresses with ties or neck scarves. Freshly cut bobs adorned with cloche hats completed the “Garçonne” or Flapper style of the usual It girl, of the “New Woman” who went against the norms and made the world her oyster

We know how the story ends, however. The growing insecurity of a frail regime, the rise of undemocratic destabilizing forces, the thesis, the antithesis culminating in a synthesis. A step forward, 3 great leaps back, as all the progress of Weimar’s people was hunted, striped, and burned during the Reich’s 12 years tenure. 1920s Germany is a twofold story: first a cautionary tale on how social progress mustn’t be taken for granted as reactionary forces lurk, waiting for their opportunity to upend societal advancements; but second, in a more hopeful spin, how even in the most unstable economic and social moments, humanity is able to push itself beyond conventions, bringing about real change and striving for a better, safer or, at least, more dance-filled, future.