The Forgotten Internationalism of the Weimar Republic: A Reassessment of Its Diplomatic, Economic, and Ideological Legacy

The Weimar Republic, which is conventionally defined by nationalist resurgence and internal strife, was a period of internationalism in diplomacy, economics, and ideology. In our views, diplomatic measures like the Locarno Treaties and working together with Soviet Russia demonstrated a creative approach to multilateralism and reunification; on the other hand, economic programs like the Dawes Plan all expressed concern to set up an efficient beleaguered Germany through cooperation. From the standpoint of ideology, the Republic was to be the Europeanist state that revived the Kantian philosophy of the perpetual peace with pacifist movements and inspired political parties like the Social Democratic Party advocating for European cooperation. This paper challenges the deterministic and conventional understanding of nationalism's role in the Republic's collapse, arguing that internationalist endeavors were significant yet overlooked factors that shaped the Republic's policies. In addition, this paper shows how internationalism is vulnerable to economic and political forces and the implications for the present-day international system.