Germany's Weimar Republic (1919–1933)

Following the First World War and the establishment of Germany's Weimar Republic (1919–1933), several Jews played prominent, albeit often controversial, roles in German politics. Their participation was disproportionately highlighted by far-right, antisemitic movements to characterize the new democracy as a Judenrepublik (Jewish Republic). 

Prominent Jewish Politicians in the Weimar Republic

• Walther Rathenau (1867–1922): An industrialist, author, and politician, Rathenau served as the Minister of Reconstruction and later as the Foreign Minister of Germany (1922). He negotiated the Treaty of Rapallo (1922) with Soviet Russia but was assassinated by right-wing nationalists in 1922.
• Hugo Preuß (1860–1925): As the Minister of the Interior in the first post-imperial government (1919), he was the primary drafter of the liberal Weimar Constitution.
• Kurt Eisner (1867–1919): A journalist and socialist politician, Eisner led the November Revolution that toppled the Bavarian monarchy and served as the first Prime Minister of the People’s State of Bavaria.
• Rudolf Hilferding (1877–1941): A prominent Marxist economist and SPD member, he served as the Minister of Finance in 1923 and again from 1928 to 1929.
• Ludwig Landmann (1868–1945): A liberal politician (German Democratic Party) who served as the Mayor of Frankfurt from 1924 to 1933, leading significant modernization projects.
• Paul Levi (1895–1930): A lawyer and leading politician of the left who led the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) after the deaths of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht before joining the SPD.
• Eugen Leviné (1883–1919): A communist leader who was instrumental in the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic. 

Activists and Revolutionaries

• Rosa Luxemburg (1871–1919): Though born in Poland, she was a crucial figure in the German revolutionary movement and a co-founder of the Spartacist League, which became the Communist Party of Germany.
• Gustav Landauer (1870–1919): A prominent anarchist and intellectual who played a role in the Bavarian Soviet Republic. 

Context of Political Role

During this era, many Jews were active in the liberal German Democratic Party (DDP), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the USPD (Independent Social Democratic Party). The Centralverein, the major organization of German Jewry, actively used the legal system to defend Jews against rising antisemitism, which often blamed Jews for Germany's defeat, the treaty of Versailles, and the subsequent economic crises.