Culture, Media and Propaganda in Nazi Germany

Question 1

who was joseph goebbels?

Answer 1

• Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda

Question 2

who did goebbels work with in 1933 and why?

Answer 2

• the NSDSB (National Socialist Movement in Netherlands [ Dutch fascist and then Nazi political organisation that eventually became a political party - under German occupation, it remained the only legal party in the Netherlands during most of WWII)
• to arrange nationwide action against the ‘un-german spirit’)

Question 3

in 1933, how many newspapers operated freely across germany?

Answer 3

over 4700

Question 4

after hitler became chancellor, how many newspapers operated freely across germany?

Answer 4

none - all opposition newspapers were banned and remainders subject to strict censorship laws so open opposition to regime became increasingly difficult

Question 5

when was the Editorship Law passed?

Answer 5

4th October 1933

Question 6

what was the Editorship Law?

Answer 6

all editors must be ‘Aryan’, dismissing hundreds of non-‘Aryan’ editors on purely racial grounds.

Question 7

when was the Reich Chamber of Culture established?

Answer 7

1933, under Goebbels

Question 8

what was the Reich Chamber of Culture

Answer 8

a government agency split into 7 different sections aiming to cover all areas of cultural life: the press, art, theatre, radio, music, films and literature.

Question 9

how did art change under the nazis?

Answer 9

• promoted traditional forms of German art and photography, eg landscapes, paintings of healthy heroic aryans
• despised any art in modernist style - ‘degenerate’ and communist.
• many artists fled Germany to try and escape persecution and find creative freedom.

Question 10

in what year did the nazis carry out a review of all art in Germany’s museums and galleries?

Answer 10

1936

Question 11

as a result of the nazis’review of all art in Germany’s museums and galleries, how many paintings were removed?

Answer 11

• 3,000 paintings that the Nazis considered ‘degenerate’ were confiscated and removed - publicly burned 5000 paintings

Question 12

what was the ‘Degenerate Art Exhibition’ and ‘Great German Art Exhibition’?

Answer 12

to show how modern art was corroding traditional German ‘ Aryan ‘ culture and to exemplify what good German art was.

Question 13

when was the ‘Degenerate Art Exhibition’ and ‘Great German Art Exhibition’?

Answer 13

1937

Question 14

why was literature particularly targeted by Nazi reform?

Answer 14

primary source of education and enjoyment

Question 15

how did literature change under the nazis?

Answer 15

• initially blacklisted authors they did not approve of - Many were Jewish (eg Max Brod) also communists (eg Karl Marx), socialists, & foreign influences.
• series of book burnings led by National Socialist German Students Association
• Opponents of Nazis also persecuted physically - many (eg philosopher Ernst Bloch) attempted to flee to more liberal countries

Question 16

who were the National Socialist German Students Association ?

Answer 16

group of uni students who strongly supported the Nazis

Question 17

how many books were burned in the burning led by the National Socialist German Students Association?

Answer 17

• 10 May 1933 - majority of book burnings took place after call for suggestions of books to blacklist a month before.
  
  • Students led parades, threw blacklisted books onto huge bonfires in towns throughout Germany.
  • Over 25,000 books burned in a single night

Question 18

how many writers left germany 1933-45?

Answer 18

2500

Question 19

what were the 2 main aims of the Reich Chamber of Music?

Answer 19

• to promote ‘good’ German music, created by ‘Aryan’ composers in a traditional genre (eg Wagner & Beethoven)
• to suppress any music considered ‘bad’ or ‘degenerate’ (eg jazz, swing, music composed by Jews)

Question 20

how did the Reich Chamber of Music function?

Answer 20

as a membership organisation, so anyone wanting to pursue a career in the industry had to be a member but membership was subject to a variety of conditions and often refused on the basis of race or political views.

Question 21

what was the general nazi approach to culture?

Answer 21

• anti-intellectual
• promoted simple and traditional aspects of German culture whilst removing any new ideas, or opposition, to the Nazi ideal - process widespread and highly bureaucratic .
• some aspects of banned or suppressed culture survived, none were able to thrive under the Third Reich.