Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times

Fire in the Reichstag

The first days of Hitler's regime is oddly normal for most people. Most are still caught between the growing friction between the Communists and the Nazis, now with the full backing of the State. Thousands flock to Carnival to relax away from politics but the joys are cut short by the Reichstag Fire. Within hours, jackboots storm the streets and break down doors looking for conspirators and enemies. Episode Art Credit: Bundesarchive. CC BY-SA 4.0. Unedited.

Elections(3)

Germany: 1932. Unemployment, political violence, and growing despair pushed millions to question whether democracy could still solve their problems. Through the words of ordinary Germans, diplomats, and historians, we explore how faith in a system begins to collapse and what rushes in to replace it. Cover Art: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-01330 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

A German Great Depression 1929-1930

Germany looked healed. Jobs returned. Berlin glittered with modern culture and confidence. Then came 1929! In this episode of Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times, we step into the final years before collapse as the Great Depression tears through Weimar Germany. Nazis and Communists gain mass support which inevitably will lead to conflict. The seeds are watered and extremism bears fruit. Meet ordinary citizens who provide firsthand accounts as watch savings vanish, unemployment explode, families break under pressure. Let's step back in time!

Communists at the Cabaret

This episode explores the world the Nazis destroyed. The rise of the German Communist Party, subsidized theater, legal equality, religious tolerance, queer culture. Let's step into history!