Debates about social modernization processes determined the public discourse of the Weimar Republic. The images of the USA and the Soviet Union that were produced in German newspapers and magazines, which were perceived as modernity projects, played a special role. This is where David Franz's study comes in, comparing conflicting depictions of both countries in the leading German print media of the time and embedding them in the social conditions of the interwar period. In addition to journalistic texts, visual representations were also examined. The study thus takes into account both the role of the Soviet Union, which has so far received little attention, as well as the power of visual representation in the debates of the Weimar Republic. As a result, it traces the lines of the interpretive struggles over modernization processes in society, economy and politics that were characteristic of the public debate of the Weimar Republic.

Series edited by: Martin Schulze Wessel, Ulf Brunnbauer