Weimar Germany - Culture

Question 1

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: What artistic movement was developed in Weimar Germany?

Answer 1

WR saw the rise of the “New Objectivity” movement. It challenged its predecessor, Expressionism, which was a more idealistic and romantic movement.

Question 2

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: What did the artists in the “New Objectivity” movement aim to do in their work?

Answer 2

Aimed to comment on the realistic state of society through their work, wanting to understand ordinary people in everyday life.

Question 3

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: Who epitomised the approach of the “New Objectivity” movement?

Answer 3

The approach was epitomised by artists such as 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘇 and 𝗢𝘁𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝘅.

Question 4

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: Give an example of a painting by Otto Dix.

Answer 4

“The Dancer Anita Berber”, 1925

Saw the “new woman” of Weimar Germany as a sign of German degradation.

Question 5

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: Give an example of a painting by George Grosz.

Answer 5

“The Pillars of Society”, 1926

Features nightmarish caricatures of the elite classes of Germany - businessmen, clergy, and generals. Mocking the elitist classes.

Question 6

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝘁: What sort of messages were focused on in “New Objectivity” artist’s work?

Answer 6

Strong political and social messages.

Question 7

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲: What theatre movement developed in Weimar Germany?

Answer 7

“New Objectivity” developed into what was called Zeittheatre (“theatre of the time”)

Question 8

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲: Name two playwrights and the techniques they used in their theatrical works.

Answer 8

Bertolt Brecht and Erwin Piscator.

Used innovative techniques to introduce protest and politics in works.

Question 9

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲: Name a play written by Bertolt Brecht and its theme.

Answer 9

“The Threepenny Opera” - left wing critique of the capitalist world.

Question 10

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: What architecture movement was developed in Weimar Germany?

Answer 10

The Bauhaus movement.

Question 11

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: When and where was the Bauhaus movement established?

Answer 11

1919, in the city of Weimar.

Question 12

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: Who led the Bauhaus movement??

Answer 12

Walter Gropius

Question 13

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: What was the movement’s approach?

Answer 13

Functional and simple designs, emphasising the close relationship between art and technology, underlined by its motto “Art and technology - a new unity”

Its core objective was a radical concept: to reimagine the material world to reflect the unity of all the arts.

Question 14

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: What different writing styles were present in literature in Weimar Germany?

Answer 14

A rich range of writing styles. Big sellers were authors who wrote traditional, nostalgic literature e.g Hans Grimm.

On the other hand, some authors explored a range of social issues in their writing growing out of the distress and misery of the w/c people in cities.

Question 15

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Give exampled of two famous literary works and their themes.

Answer 15

• “All Quiet on the Western Front” - 1928, Erich Maria Remarque. Tells the story of a group of young Germans who enlist in World War I after being captivated by slogans of patriotism and honour.
• “Berlin Alexanderplatz” - 1929, Alfred Döblin. Examines the life of a worker in Weimar Society.

Question 16

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: What is mass culture?

Answer 16

A mainstream culture which spreads via different modes of mass media.

Question 17

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: What emerged in Weimar Germany?

Answer 17

Emergence of a modern mass culture.

Question 18

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: What were the international influences of this modern mass culture?

Answer 18

• consumer culture (consumerism)
• jazz music from the USA
• advertising as a communication methods for the masses

Question 19

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: What happened to the film industry?

Answer 19

Germany became the most advanced film industry in 1920s Europe. The economic disruption of the Weimar period produced an expressionist style in German film-making, with films often having unrealistic sets and featuring exaggerated acting techniques.

Question 20

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: Who was the UFA and who ran it?

Answer 20

A government-organised film company, ran by Alfred Hugenberg.

Question 21

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: What was the UFA’s purpose?

Answer 21

To promote German culture and, in the years following World War I, to enhance Germany’s international image.

Question 22

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: Give examples of films in Weimar Germany.

Answer 22

• Blue Angel (1930) - German
• Gold Rush (1925) - American movie with Charlie Chaplin
• Metropolis (1927) - German movie,where a beautiful and cultured utopia exists above a bleak underworld populated by mistreated workers.

Question 23

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: What did films do in Weimar Germany?

Answer 23

Offered a romantic view of the past.

Question 24

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺: How many cinemas were there in 1929?

Answer 24

1919 ➡ 2,800 cinemas
1929 ➡ 5,200 cinemas

Evidence of more mass culture.

Question 25

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁: Where did clubs open?

Answer 25

Cities. Berlin had a particularly vibrant nightlife in the 1920s.

Question 26

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁: What were cabaret clubs and what did they do?

Answer 26

Restaurants or nightclub where a show of singers, dancers or comedians were offered from a small stage.

They mocked the conventions of old Germany using satirical comedy, jazz music and female dancers with varying degrees of nudity.

Question 27

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗖𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁: What themes were covered in a performance? (as censorship was lifted after WWI)

Answer 27

Social themes e.g sex and political developments of the time.

Question 28

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: What was the rain used as?

Answer 28

Emerged as a medium for mass communication in Weimar Germany.

Question 29

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: How many Germans owned a radio by 1932?

Answer 29

1 in 4 Germans.

Question 30

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: What was founded in 1923?

Answer 30

The German Radio company.

Question 31

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: What did Weimar bureaucrats begin to do after 1925?

Answer 31

Exert ever greater state supervision over radio content to try to depoliticise it. As the Weimar Republic became more and more politically unstable, the government pushed through reforms in 1926 and 1932 that mandated direct state supervision of radio content.

Question 32

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: Who was Hans Bredow?

Answer 32

First chairman of Weimar Germany’s National broadcasting service

Question 33

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 - 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼: What did Hans Bredow initially think radio could be used for?

Answer 33

To broadcast education and entertainment to bring the German population together after the divisive loss of World War I

Believed that radio should not broadcast political content, fearing it might exacerbate an already febrile environment.

Question 34

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Where were cultural movements largely based?

Answer 34

In the cities, although not typical of all Weimar Germany.

Question 35

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What did the majority of Germans think about the cultural developments of the Weimar period?

Answer 35

Most Germans were horrified by what they saw as a decline in established moral and cultural standards (this was the traditional, conservative view), however some enjoyed and applauded the efforts of cultural experimentation.

Question 36

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What did the freedom of expression in Weimar Germany encourage people to do?

Answer 36

Allowed different ideas to flourish and allowed critics of both cultural developments and the government to express their views.

Question 37

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What did conservative and radical right-wing sympathisers, in particular, criticise?

Answer 37

The increasing number of Jewish writers, intellectuals and artists.

They decried the new cultural products as decadent and immoral.

Question 38

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What happened to Weimar society in the years before 1929?

Answer 38

It was becoming increasingly polarised.

Question 39

Summarise Weimar culture 1918-1932.

Answer 39

Weimar Germany became a flourishing centre of artistic innovation, great creativity, and considerable experimentation. The unprecedented freedom and widespread latitude for varieties of cultural expression led to an explosion of artistic production.