You know, it's so strange, I've lived through four forms of government in my life: monarchy, republic, Hitler's Reich, American democracy. The [Weimar] republic was only ... 1918 to 1933, that's fifteen years! Imagine that, only fifteen years. But, then, Hitler was going to last a thousand years and he lasted only ... 1933 to 1945... twelve, twelve years only! Hah!
Source
Gusti Bienstock Kollman (born 1912, escaped Austria to the United States after
Kristallnacht 1938)