Member-only story
Editorial
How We Can Protect Democracy Without Losing Our Values
The paradox of tolerance and its dialectical unfurling
History, in its relentless unfolding, often teaches through devastation and collapse. The story of the Weimar Republic is one such instructive moment — where the ideals of liberal democracy were put to the ultimate test and found wanting.
Established in 1919, the Weimar Republic was conceived as a beacon of progress, promising a society governed by reason, rights, and the rule of law. Its constitution was a paean to freedom, guaranteeing civil liberties unprecedented in German history.
Yet, the nascent republic grappled with the ominous shadows of extremism, not from without, but from within its own legal framework and cultural backdrop.
By allowing the unchecked spread of dangerous ideologies, including those that fundamentally sought its destruction, the republic sealed its doom. These antisemitic ideologies had been prevalent in Germany, dating back at least as far as the time of Martin Luther.
The rise of Adolf Hitler to power in 1933 was not a sudden coup, but rather the culmination of years spent exploiting the very freedoms meant to protect Germany’s democracy. Hitler and his followers did this under the banner…
