in the 1920s, kessler as a journalist tried to influence the political debates of the weimar republic. he wrote essays on different social and foreign policy issues, such as socialism, or the league of nations. he belonged to the left-liberal german democratic party (ddp) and wrote a biography of his 1922 murdered friend walther rathenau (then foreign minister). in 1924, he was a ddp candidate for the reichstag. when this attempt failed, he withdrew from politics. in the twenties, kessler was frequently a guest at the berlin sesiso club. in 1932/33, material co-edited by him appeared in the magazine "das freie wort" ("the free word"). after the nazis' seizure of power in 1933 kessler resigned and emigrated to paris, then to mallorca and finally to the southern french provinces. he died in 1937 in lyon.