Democracies are fragile. Freedoms that seem secure can be lost. Few historical periods illustrate this as clearly as the Weimar Republic. Fateful Hours tells one of the greatest dramas in world history: the failure of Germany's first democracy, culminating in the horrific rise of the Third Reich.

The Weimar Republic was born under an inauspicious star. Germany resoundingly lost the First World War and was hobbled by harsh conditions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Continual crises--hyperinflation, violence, and political instability--shook the republic, only letting up during a brief period of stability in the 1920s. But the first German democracy was not always destined for failure. Historian Volker Ullrich proves that there were many opportunities to lay the tracks differently, from the founding phase through Hitler's election in 1933. Ultimately, the republic's fate depended on the choices of individuals. Thus, this history carries an urgent reminder: It is up to us whether democracy lives or dies.