The Weimar Legacy

The Weimar Legacy begins in 1918 in a small town near Berlin, Germany, where a Catholic school girl named Gertrude befriends Martin, a Jewish boy. After being together for several years, Martin moves to Berlin. Gertrude follows later on and becomes a well-known cabaret singer. The two fall in love and marry. A year later, Martin is killed in a firefight between his Communist party members and the Nazi militias. A devastated Gertrude later meets Erich, a German Protestant from Berlin. The two get close, and along with some friends try to oppose the Nazis. Their efforts do not have much consequence, and some of their friends leave the country forever. Eventually, in 1937, Erich and Gertrude leave for Italy, where Gertrude becomes an opera singer.

As seen through the eyes of contemporary people, this historical novel brings to life the Nazi era in Germany in the years leading up to World War II, as well as the terrible aftermath. The Weimar Legacy: From Republic to Dictatorship reveals some important truths for today's readers.

(About the Author)

Alex Bloch grew up in Germany. Prior to World War II, his family left for the United States in 1936. He was educated in America and graduated from MIT and from Columbia University with a master's in industrial engineering. The author moved to Israel in 1968, where he was an engineer. Just before retirement, he went back to school to study history, an old favorite, and received a Ph.D. in this subject, and then taught for some years. He was inspired to write this novel because "it shows the change from a liberal democracy to a dictatorship."