Culture and Inflation in Weimar Germany (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism) (Volume 26)

For many Germans the hyperinflation of 1922 to 1923 was one of the most decisive experiences of the twentieth century. In his original and authoritative study, Bernd Widdig investigates the effects of that inflation on German culture during the Weimar Republic. He argues that inflation, with its dynamics of massification, devaluation, and the rapid circulation of money, is an integral part of modern culture and intensifies and condenses the experience of modernity in a traumatic way.Bernd Widdig is Associate Professor of German Studies and Director of the MIT-Germany Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Männerbünde und Massen: Zur Krise männlicher Identität in der Literatur der Moderne(1992). For Many Germans The Hyperinflation Of 1914-1923 Was One Of The Most Decisive Experiences Of The Twentieth Century. In His Original And Authoritative Study, Bernd Widdig Investigates The Effects Of That Inflation On German Culture During The Weimar Republic. He Argues That Inflation, With Its Dynamics Of Massification, Devaluation, And The Rapid Circulation Of Money, Is An Integral Part Of Modern Culture And Intensifies And Condenses The Experience Of Modernity In A Traumatic Way. Looking At How Inflation Was Articulated In The German Cultural Imagination, He Finds That The Shattering Of Important Values And The Feelings Of Betrayal Left Permanent Scars Embedded More Deeply Than Inflation's Measurable Economic Consequences. Among The Themes Widdig Explores Are The Importance Of The Number Zero For Understanding The Inflationary Dynamic; Gambling And Inflation; The Impact Of Inflation On The Rise Of Anti-semitism; The Significance Of Work As An Alternative Space In The Inflationary Chaos; The Erosion Of The Status Of Writers, Artists, And Professors; And The Different Feminine Codings Within Visual Representations Of Inflation. The Epilogue Addresses The Afterlife Of German Inflation: The Ways It Shaped National Socialist Ideology And Its Continuing Power In The Collective Memory Of Germany's Postwar Society. Widdig Illuminates The Effects Of Germany's Inflation By Drawing On A Wide Range Of Canonical Literature And Films As Well As Generally Unexplored Cultural Materials Such As Satirical Illustrations, Photographs, And Pamphlets. Widdig's Clear-headed Ability To Combine Cultural Analysis With Popular Social Experience Makes His Book Highly Readable And A Welcome Addition To German Studies, German Cultural History, And Discussions Of Modernity.--jacket. 1. Money Matters: Culture And Inflation 3 -- Part I. History And Experience -- 2. Flirting With Disaster: The German Inflation, 1914-1923 33 -- 3. Daily Explosions: Canetti's Inflation 53 -- Part Ii. Money -- 4. Under The Sign Of Zero: Money And Inflation 79 -- 5. Uncanny Encounters: Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler 113 -- 6. Visions Of Work: Hugo Stinnes And His Doubles 134 -- Part Iv. Accounts -- 7. Cultural Capital In Decline: Inflation And The Distress Of Intellectuals 169 -- 8. Witches Dancing: Gender And Inflation 196 -- 9. Aftershocks: Inflation, National Socialism, And Beyond 223. Bernd Widdig. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 251-272) And Index. "For many Germans the hyperinflation of 1914-1923 was one of the most decisive experiences of the twentieth century. In his original and authoritative study, Bernd Widdig investigates the effects of that inflation on German culture during the Weimar Republic. He argues that inflation, with its dynamics of massification, devaluation, and the rapid circulation of money, is an integral part of modern culture and intensifies and condenses the experience of modernity in a traumatic way.". "Looking at how inflation was articulated in the German cultural imagination, he finds that the shattering of important values and the feelings of betrayal left permanent scars embedded more deeply than inflation's measurable economic consequences. Among the themes Widdig explores are the importance of the number zero for understanding the inflationary dynamic; gambling and inflation; the impact of inflation on the rise of anti-Semitism; the significance of work as an alternative space in the inflationary chaos; the erosion of the status of writers, artists, and professors; and the different feminine codings within visual representations of inflation. The epilogue addresses the "afterlife" of German inflation: the ways it shaped National Socialist ideology and its continuing power in the collective memory of Germany's postwar society.". "Widdig illuminates the effects of Germany's inflation by drawing on a wide range of canonical literature and films as well as generally unexplored cultural materials such as satirical illustrations, photographs, and pamphlets. Widdig's clear-headed ability to combine cultural analysis with popular social experience makes his book highly readable and a welcome addition to German studies, German cultural history, and discussions of modernity."--BOOK JACKET. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 10 List of Illustrations......Page 12 List of Tables......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 1. Money Matters: Culture and Inflation......Page 20 2. Flirting with Disaster......Page 50 3. Daily Explosions: Canetti’s Inflation......Page 70 4. Under the Sign of Zero: Money and Inflation......Page 96 5. Uncanny Encounters: Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler......Page 130 6. Visions of Work: Hugo Stinnes and His Doubles......Page 151 7. Cultural Capital in Decline: Inflation and the Distress of Intellectuals......Page 186 8. Witches Dancing: Gender and Inflation......Page 213 9. Aftershocks: Inflation, National Socialism, and Beyond......Page 240 Notes......Page 252 Bibliography......Page 268 Index......Page 290 For many American readers the German inflation of the 1920s may trigger much more recent personal recollections of life in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a hapless President Jimmy Carter tried to fight the frightening climb of the Consumer Price Index, which had reached more than 13 percent in 1979 (Nocera 176). For many Germans the hyperinflation of 1914-1923 was one of the most decisive experiences of the 20th century. This study investigates the effects of that inflation on German culture during the Weimar Republic