The "power vacuum" with Franz von Papen and Kurt von Schleicher as democracy was gutted, but neither men could build a new system in their short time in office. [5] We have offices in Maidstone and Canterbury, meaning we are perfectly placed to serve clients in Kent, London, Sussex and across the south east. Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity grants wishes to children in the UK with serious or life-limiting illnesses. Since 2003, the charity has fulfilled more than 4,000 wishes. It also grants hospital ward wishes and arranges events and outings for groups of seriously ill children.

Brachers’ was founded in 1895 by Henry James Bracher who moved to Maidstone when he was appointed Clerk to the Guardian of the Hollingbourne Union, a workhouse based in the area. In 1912 he was joined by his son, Guy, who was later killed in the First World War, and Frank Miskin. Zeit der Ideologien: Eine Geschichte politischen Denkens im 20. Jahrhundert, 1982, translated into English as The Age Of Ideologies: A History of Political Thought in the Twentieth Century, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984, ISBN 0-312-01229-2.Karl Dietrich Bracher, professor of political science and contemporary history at the University of Bonn and the author of major studies on the dissolution of the Weimar Republic and on the Nazi seizure of power, is one of the new generation of German historians who in recent years have come to confront their national past without evasion or self-pity. In The German Dictatorship (the first of his books to be published in English) it is no exaggeration to say that he has produced a work of unparalleled distinction, combining the most scrupulous objectivity with a passionate commitment to the democratic ethos. As Bracher writes in the preface: “This book is dedicated to the hope that a sober picture of the German dictatorship may help Germany avoid both old and new dangers, primarily the traditional authoritarian concept of the state, but also a radical utopianism—both expressions of intolerance and conceit, and, moreover, profoundly unpolitical modes of behavior.” In an essay published in 1976 entitled "The Role of Hitler: Perspectives of Interpretation", Bracher argued that Hitler was too often underrated in his own time, and that those historians who rejected the totalitarian paradigm in favor of the fascist paradigm were in danger of making the same mistake. [32] In Bracher's opinion, Hitler was a "world-historical" figure who served as the embodiment of the most radical type of German nationalism and a revolutionary of the most destructive kind, and that such was the force of Hitler's personality that it is correct to speak of National Socialism as "Hitlerism". [32] In his essay, Bracher maintained that Hitler himself was in many ways something of an "unperson" devoid of any real interest for the biographer, but argued that these pedestrian qualities of Hitler led to him being underestimated first by rivals and allies in the Weimar Republic, and then on the international stage in the 1930s. [36] At the same time, Bracher warned of the apologetic tendencies of the “demonization" of Hitler which he accused historians like Gerhard Ritter of engaging in, which Bracher maintained allowed too many Germans to place the blame for Nazi crimes solely on the "demon" Hitler. [37] Though Bracher criticized the Great man theory of history as an inadequate historical explanation, Bracher argued that social historians who claim that social developments were more important than the role of individuals were mistaken. [38] Karl Dietrich Bracher (13 March 1922 – 19 September 2016) was a German political scientist and historian of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Born in Stuttgart, Bracher was awarded a Ph.D. in the classics by the University of Tübingen in 1948 and subsequently studied at Harvard University from 1949 to 1950. During World War II, he served in the Wehrmacht and was captured by the Americans while serving in Tunisia in 1943. Bracher taught at the Free University of Berlin from 1950 to 1958 and at the University of Bonn since 1959. In 1951, Bracher married Dorothee Schleicher, the niece of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They had two children. [1] Historical views [ edit ] Researching the collapse of Weimar [ edit ] Bracher Rawlins aims to make a positive impact on more than just our clients by actively supporting a charity or cause that changes the lives of those living in our community. This year, we are supporting Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity. During the Historikerstreit (Historians' Dispute) of the 1986–88, Bracher argued in a letter to the editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on 6 September 1986 that nothing new was being presented by either side. [63] Bracher wrote that he approved of Joachim Fest's essay "Encumbered Remembrance" about the moral equivalence of Nazi and Communist crimes, although he remained pointly silent about Fest's support for the theory of Ernst Nolte of a “casual nexus” with German National Socialism as an extreme, but understandable response to Soviet Communism. [63] Bracher argued that "...the "totalitarian" force of these two ideologies [Communism and National Socialism] seized the whole human and seduced and enslaved him". [63] Bracher accused both Jürgen Habermas and Ernst Nolte of both "...tabooing the concept of totalitarianism and inflating the formula of fascism". [63] Bracher complained about the "politically polarized" dispute that was blinding historians to the "comparability" of Communism and National Socialism. [63] Bracher ended his letter by writing that neither National Socialism nor Communism lost none of "...their respective "singular" inhumanity by comparisons. Neither a national nor a socialist apologetic can be supported on that basis". [63]

The board is hugely grateful for Ed’s commitment to the RDA and will be very sorry to lose him as he is universally respected throughout the RDA community and beyond. His optimistic, inclusive and pragmatic approach will be sorely missed as he embodies the spirit of RDA – committed to making lives better and believing above all that ‘It’s what you can do that counts’.”

No limits were to that elite’s supranational competence…. It is this moral and intellectual totalitarianism pseudo-scientifically justified and politically enforced, that represents both the strength and the weakness of communist ideology. It was able to bring salvation from doubts in a modern complex world, but it was bound, time and again, to come into conflict with the facts of that complexity.” [62] Ed joined RDA UK in 2004 and during his 17-year tenure has provided the organisation with strong leadership that has ensured that the organisation is widely respected as one of the UK’s most important and well known charities,” the statement said. Bracher argued the beginning of the end of the Weimar Republic was the coming of "presidential government" in 1930. Starting with the government of Heinrich Brüning, chancellors sought not to govern via the Reichstag, instead using the "25/48/53 formula", referring to the constitutional articles that gave the Reich president the power to dissolve the Reichstag (25), issue emergency decrees (48) and appoint the chancellor (53). The practice was technically legal but violated the spirit of the constitution since article 54 explicitly stated the chancellor and his cabinet were responsible to the Reichstag. [2] Bracher maintained that the end of German democracy was not inevitable, but instead was due to conscious choices coupled with "momentous errors and failures" made by Germany's leaders, especially President Paul von Hindenburg. [2] In Die Auflösung der Weimarer Republik, Bracher argued the "collapse" of the republic went through several stages: Our Gillingham funeral home can be found on Newbury, just along from the Lidl, meaning we are easily accessible to all the town. We are also within reach of our neighbouring towns and villages in Dorset, as well as those in Somerset and Wiltshire, including Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Tisbury and Wincanton.