Culture Flashcards
Describe how new objectivity affected developments in theatre in the WR?
new objectivity developed into zeittheatre
Describe the work of Bertolt Brecht in WR theatre
-he used innovative techniques to introduce protest/politics into his work
-The three penny opera was a left wing critique of the capitalist world
Who led the Bauhaus movement? What was it?
Walter Gropius
-Bauhaus was an architectural movement that emphasised the close relationship between art and technology, epitomising modern art
Describe literature in the WR?
-Some traditional nostalgic literature pertained, such as the work of Hans Grimm
-Other literature explored political issues eg ‘All quiet on the Western front’ elucidated the horrors of the war
What were Weimar cultural developments influenced by?
International developments such as consumer culture, advertising as a communication method for the masses, and Jazz music
What was the purpose of culture in the WR?
-reflect the increasingly urban and industrial nature of society
-Promote democracy and freedom of expression
What famous artwork did George Grosz paint?
“The Pillars of Society” - a portrait that satirize’s the elite supporters of Fascism that dominated post-war Germany in 1926
What cultural developments symbolise the romanticism prevalent in the WR?
Film- the Golem, based on a jewish legend
Books- Ernst Junger’s storm of the steel and copse romanticised WW1
What was film heavily influenced by in the Weimar Republic?
The emergence of a modern mass culture
What evidence is there of film becoming the largest industry in Europe during the WR?
-2000 cinemas in 1919
-5000 cinemas in 1929
What was the UFA in the WR?
A state ran film company led by Alfred Hugenburg that produced artistically outstanding and popular films eg Metropolis 1926
How many Germans owned a radio in 1932?
1/4
it became a mass communication method
Describe attitudes towards cultural change in the WR
Most Germans were horrified by what they saw as a decline in established moral and cultural standards
What did the German criminal code of 184 allow during the WR?
the banning of obscene publications
Describe how the bill of rights influenced attitudes to culture in the WR?
The bill of rights allowed for freedom of expression, which underpinned movements such as cabaret, as well as allowing for criticisms of both cultural developments and the government.
What conservative intellectuals in the WR condemned cultural developments
Arthur Moeller and Oswald Spengler condemned the new democratic and industrial society of the Weimar Republic
Who controlled culture in Nazi Germany?
Reichskulturkammer(RKK / The reich chamber of culture created by Goebbels in 1933
which jewish composers were banned in Nazi Germany? Why?
Mahler and Mendelssohn
Culture served to strengthen Volksgemeinschaft and notions of racial superiority
What happened to Jazz in Nazi Germany?
New genres of Jazz and dance band were respectively labelled ‘Negroid’ and ‘Decadent’
How was culture censored in Nazi Germany?
-May 10 1933, with the help of the nazi student organisation, the Nazi’s organised the mass burning of about 25,000 books that were considered as ‘unsound’
What did Nazi propaganda stress about culture?
That the Nazi’s were the kulturtrager (culture bearers) of Europe, but that they had been led astray by the over-intellectual, Jewish-led, corrupt culture of WG
What was the RKK supervised by?
The reich ministry of popular enlightenment and propaganda
How was nazi cultural policy entrenched with anti-modernism?
-new functionalist artists like George Grosz and Otto Dix were censored
-Nazi’s resented modern style of Bauhaus
What style of architecture did Hitler favour?
Neo-classicism
Hitler wanted buildings that symbolised greatness and heroism, such as the Reich chancellory and the 1936 Berlin olympic stadium
Why was classic German culture promoted in Nazi Germany? How did music do this?
-To foster patriotism and the idea of the germanic spirit.
-The work of Bach and Beethoven was proudly exploited by the regime
How many German writers fled Germany 1933-45?
2500
who controlled film in Nazi Germany
many of the major film studios were in the hands of nationalist sympathisers- some of 100 films were overt propaganda
How was culture used in the war years?
To bolster the war effort-
the production of the film Kolberg (1945) served to stiffen resistance to invading armies
What film demonstrated Goebbels intent to use culture to win support for the regime?
The adventures of Baron Von munchausen (entertaining Disney like film)
What was the culture experimentation of the Weimar Republic regarded as by the nazi’s?
Chaotic and subversive
Cabaret and Jazz clubs shut down in 1935
How many people owned a ‘Peoples receiver’ in 1939?
70%
What was ‘The eternal Jew’/Derwige Jude?
A tasteless film that presented jews like rats
What jewish director was removed?
Fritz lang
When was the degenerate art exhibition? What did it do?
1937
-those deemed degenerate were jewish slavic and French, the pieces were made to be mocked and destroyed
What was the purpose of the Great German art exhibition in 1937?
to glorify themes of Volksgemeinschaft and celebrate traditional classic culture
How was culture used to re-enforce the propaganda image of hitler?
By portraying him as the father of Germany eg documentaries such as triumph of the will
Describe traditional attitudes towards culture in nazi Germany
-Traditional attitudes intensified, mirroring that of imperial Germany. For instance people believed women should be in domesticated roles
-anti-semitism and anti-modernism increased
Was their opposition towards the Nazi’s cultural policies?
yes- widespread dissent pertained amongst young people, swing youth for instance listened to ‘decadent’ and banned music
How did US culture influence cultural tensions in the FRG?
-The growing influence of US culture in the 1950’s and 1960’s was seen as undermining traditional German values.
-US influences were particularly pervasive, associated with affluence and exciting lifestyles
What elements of US culture were adopted by the FRG?
-The adoption of blue jeans, chewing gum, rock n roll, and Coca Cola
-These cultural commodities were associated with a breakdown of deference to authority, and youth rebellion, as exemplified by the so called hooligans
What were ‘hooligans’?
the term was applied by the media to youth gangs and anti-social and criminal behaviour
How were cultural and class divisions weakened during the 1960’s and 1970’s?
-The expansion of consumerism and materialism provided Germans with common values
-Sport also helped to give west germans a greater sense of unity eg success of west German football team
What did polls in 1968 show about young people in the FRG?
That the vast majority of young people were well integrated into society and tended to hold their parents conservative values
Who was Gunter Grass? what did he write?
- A former member of the Wafen SS
-The Tin drum (1959); an astonishing feat of the imagination; based on nazi and immediate post war period as written by the inmate of a mental asylum
Why did Heinrich Boll’s work produce controversy? Which book?
in 1963 the publication of ‘The clown’ was criticised in the west German press for its negative portrayal of the CDU and the Catholic Church
How much did cinema attendance fall by in the FRG?
817.5 million visits in 1956
172.2 million by 1969
What happened to cinema in the 1960’s?
A new cinema movement emerged, focused on reflecting new as opposed to old cinematic ideas.
Artistic excellence was pursued rather than commercial success
What film did Fassbinder produce in the FRG’?
‘Fear eats the soul’-A film produced by Fassbinder showing a love affair between a 60 year old widow and a much younger migrant worker
In what years did the West German football team win the Fifa World Cup?
1954 and 1974
What were the aims of culture in the FRG?
-Wanted to regain image as leaders of European culture after the war
-Remove Nazi controls and reintroduce cultural experimentation
-Influenced by democratic principles
What was ‘the inability to mourn’ ?
a document (1967) aimed to draw the attention of their parent’s generation to what had become a collective suppression of guilt regarding the nazi regime
