{"id":13603,"date":"2025-07-25T14:53:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iss.uw.edu.pl\/?page_id=13603"},"modified":"2025-10-21T13:19:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:19:42","slug":"sebastian-elsbach","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/iss.uw.edu.pl\/en\/sebastian-elsbach\/","title":{"rendered":"Sebastian Elsbach"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sebastian Elsbach<\/div>
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RESEARCH INTERESTS:<\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n

democratic transformation, political violence & extremism, republican elites & education, civic nationalism, polish-german relations, antisemitism<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Weimar Republic stands as a striking example of both the promises and the perils of democratic transformation. Conflict and violence permeated the political life of Germany\u2019s first democracy\u2014often in destructive, but at times also in productive ways\u2014contributing to the emergence of an exceptionally dynamic society. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective that draws on history, political science, and sociology, my research has focused on various aspects of the political culture and societal developments during the Weimar era, particularly on efforts to defend the republic against violence and political extremism. What lessons can we draw from this democratic experiment\u2014and what is the relevance of the “Weimar” comparison today?<\/span><\/p>\n

PROJECTS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Center for Sociological Research, I am part of the project Patchwork Parliaments. I view the histories of the Polish and German republics as deeply intertwined. What I find particularly appealing in this project is its comparative framework and its ambition to connect regional and national analyses with the study of political discourse and social protest.<\/span><\/p>\n

My dissertation, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, explored the largest pro-democratic paramilitary organization of the Weimar Republic\u2014the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold. Founded in 1924, it counted approximately 1.5 million members.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a subsequent project, I joined the research college “Das demokratische Gewaltmonopol in der fr\u00fchen Weimarer Republik, 1918\u20131924” (DemGeWeR)\u2014The Democratic Monopoly on Violence in the Early Weimar Republic, 1918\u20131924. As a postdoctoral researcher, I investigated the themes of civil war and separatism during the early years of the republic. This project was also funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, as part of its program \u201cDemocracy as Utopia, Experience, and Threat\u201d (Funding Programme Democracy<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

EDUCATION<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n