The Arts in Nazi Germany : Continuity, Conformity, Change

Culture and the arts played a central role in the ideology and propaganda of National Socialism from the early years of the movement until the last months of the Third Reich in 1945. Hitler and his followers believed that art and culture were expressions of race, and that "Aryans" alone were capable of creating true art and preserving true German culture. This volume's essays explore these and other aspects of the arts and cultural life under National Socialism, and are authored by some of the most respected authorities in the field: Alan Steinweis, Michael Kater, Eric Rentschler, Pamela Potter, Frank Trommler, and Jonathan Petropoulos. The result is a volume that offers students and interested readers a brief but focused introduction to this important aspect of the history of Nazi Germany. Contents Preface Introduction The Arts in Nazi Germany: Continuity, Conformity, Change Chapter One Anti-Semitism and the Arts in Nazi Ideology and Policy Chapter Two The Impact of American Popular Culture on German Youth Chapter Three The Legacy of Nazi Cinema: Triumph of the Will and Jew Süss Revisited Chapter Four Music in the Third Reich: The Complex Task of “Germanization” Chapter Five A Command Performance? The Many Fac es of Literat ure under Nazism Chapter Six The Art World in Nazi Germany: Choices, Rationalization, and Justice Appendixes APPENDIX A Letter from Wilhelm Furtwängler to Joseph Goebbels APPENDIX B Law for the Establishment of a Provisional Chamber of Film APPENDIX C The Reich Chamber of Culture Law APPENDIX D First Decree for the Implementation of the Law for the Reich Chamber of Culture APPENDIX E Activities of the Cultural Association of German Jews [Jewish Cultural League] APPENDIX F The German Authorities and the Cultural Association of German Jews [Jewish Cultural League] APPENDIX G Ten Principles for the Creation of German Music APPENDIX H From Hitler’s “Speech on Culture” (Kulturrede) APPENDIX I What Are People Reading? A Questionnaire in Berlin Book Stores CONTRIBUTORS Selected Bibliography Index