With epic force, Fallada narrates in this historical novel that made him famous, the struggle of the rural population against the hated bureaucracy in a small northern German town, which expands into a fight of all against all. Intrigue, greed, ambition, and political machinations dominate the scene. Fallada created a miniature model of the ailing Weimar Republic, which surrendered itself to its executioners. Includes an afterword on the history of the novel's creation.