German Culture and the Third Reich - Coursework Example

German Culture And The Third Reich An Overview. Twelve years is a miniscule time slot in history. That was the life span of the Third Reich in Germany, from 1933 to 1945 when, with surprising ease, the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party or Nationasozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP for short) high jacked the German nation and brought about socio-cultural and political changes that permeated all segments of the life of its people. There are some similarities between the Third Reich and the First Reich (The Holy Roman Empire). The earlier incarnation had a much longer duration. It survived in one form or the other from the beginning of the 9th century till early 19th century. Charlemagne who founded the Empire was driven by the zest of forcibly imposing Roman Christianity all over the country. He found a powerful ally in the Pope of Rome (1) in the mutually beneficial endeavor. Pagan tribes were brought in to the fold and their sites were destroyed. Bloodbaths and massacres (2) were the order of the day. Finally, Germany became a nation state during the Franco – Prussian War in 1870-1871. In the meantime, the French Revolution had left an indelible mark on the German people. The ideals behind that uprising appealed to many, particularly the students and academicians. There were broadly backed demonstrations (3) in October 1817. Books of certain authors were burned, an act of protest that was to be repeated approximately 120 years later (4). Black, red and gold, which were to later become the national colors were selected to symbolize the movement. With the defeat at the hands of the Allies in the First World War, Germany’s thousand years of glory lay in shambles. But the ‘Purity of Race’ theory was always dormant in the German mind. This had gained much currency during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In elementary terms, this meant, at least to a group of German thinkers that people who spoke the Indo-European languages were part of the Aryan race, which was superior to other peoples. The Nazis gave this argument a significant slant by claiming that Aryans of Nordic-Germanic origin were, the purest. Several writers vehemently pushed this view (5). This was, in effect, an ember of German pride waiting to flare again. The Weimar Constitution that came into force in 1918 did nothing to revive the German morale. The situation kept on declining and chaos prevailed all around. The possibility of a civil war could not have been totally ruled out at that point of time. Political parties organized their own paramilitary troops. They intimidated the people, generating hatred all around. Unemployment and poverty were rampant. The government remained an impotent observer. It was in this situation that Adolph Hitler stepped in to take over the reigns. In fact, the President, Paul von Hindenburg, appointed him as Chancellor on January 29, 1933. Perhaps the President had no other choice, and in any case, his action was well within the democratic framework. But what followed was not. On the excuse of a fire at the Reichstag, an emergency was decreed and democracy became a thing of the past. All legislative powers were vested in the government. Fundamental rights were abolished. When von Hindenburg died in August 1934, Hitler assumed Presidential powers. The armed forces swore personal allegiance to him. Germany became a single party state. The Nazi party wings, SA, SS, Gestapo, the state security police, clamped an iron grip on the country. This was no surprise to those who had read Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’. The book had provided sufficient pointers. It was the beginning of a modern police state. What followed were brainwashing, enforcement and genocide, and of course, the Second World War for which the people and the country were carefully prepared for nearly six years. The main objective of the Third Reich was to achieve the purity of race. Only the ‘Aryans’ had the right to be in Germany. The country belonged to them and no one else had any right to be there. The others were sub-humans. The unfortunate lot included “prostitutes, homosexuals, handicapped, drunks, tramps, Jews, the ‘work-shy’, gypsies and habitual criminals” (6). Their jobs and possessions were taken away. They were tortured, discriminated against, confined ghettos, sometimes jailed and killed. Euthanasia programs for non-Aryans were encouraged. The Holocaust was to follow. Alongside with the policy of extermination and dehumanization, propagation of the purest race was also taken up. Patriotic women of racial purity were called upon to perform a great duty for the nation. They were aggressively exhorted to beget as many “Aryan” children as they possibly could (7). That was duty and not prostitution or immorality in the eyes of the Third Reich. Many Germans danced to the tune. The reasons are many. Hitler gave them a sense of direction. He provided an avenue for the German pride to emerge again. Germany was again on its way to its rightful position in the community of nations. Clarity was emerging out of the chaos of the Weimar republic. Many compromised out of fear. The sound of boots and the midnight knock were often real, and intimidating. Jews formed less than 1% of the population and were incapable of offering any meaningful resistance. It is amazing how Hitler could have implemented a great cultural revolution in a span of just six years, to the Second World War. This was achieved through what was called ‘synchronization of culture’, under the guidance of Joseph Gobbles the Nazi Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda. Cultural organizations were sanitized from Jews and other suspect sub-human beings. In September 1933 a Reich Culture Chamber was created. It consisted of Reich Film Chamber, Reich Music Chamber, Reich Theater Chamber, Reich Press Chamber, Reich Writing Chamber, Reich Chamber for Fine Arts and the Reich Radio Chamber (8). Almost all non-Aryans were removed from the German cultural scene as well as the government. Nazi version of art emphasized the peasantry, romanticism of war and the ‘Aryan’. Modern art and impressionist paintings were considered degenerative. Thousands of paintings were consigned to flames. And, book-burning ceremonies were held to destroy works of suspect authors. On May 10, 1933, university students set ablaze more than 25,000 volumes because they allegedly contained ‘un-German’ ideas. A hundred years previously, H. Heine had said, “Where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned, too (9). A blacklist of unacceptable books was prepared for purging from libraries. War novels suddenly appeared in all bookstores; this was to prepare the people for the conflict that was imminent. Even the architecture went through a drastic change. Adolph Hitler considered himself the ‘Master Builder oh the Third Reich’. Several impressive amphitheaters were built. Great plays of Goethe and Schiller were produced along with those by National Socialist writers. Music of the German greats, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Anton Bruckner and Richard Wagner were promoted but non-Aryan composers were ignored. Hitler himself attended many performances. The propaganda machine worked fast, efficiently and effectively. The result was a positive swing in the mood of the people. Jobs were back too. Germany was surging forward. They were the superior race and the world would soon come to accept that. Rigid censorship was not required because the press quickly grasped the temper of the nation and played along. Nazi propaganda was quick to realize the potential of the radio. They carried messages direct to the people. Manufacturing facilities were established to produce inexpensive radios like “Volksempfanger”. By the end of the decade 70% of all households had radios. In addition to this loudspeakers took up the broadcasts in public places, factories, cafes, streets and offices. Hardly anyone could miss them. The Nazis were equally fast to grasp the importance of the talking movie. Only racially pure Germans were allowed in the industry. Each script had to be cleared by the Propaganda Ministry. Exhibitors had to swear allegiance to the Nazi government. With the onset of the Third Reich some great musicians of Jewish origin, like Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperor, and Arnold Schoenberg left Germany. But Wilhem Furtwangler stayed back and was accused to be a collaborator. In the retrospect he is seen as a non-political patriot. He never joined the Nazi Party. He resigned as Director of the Berlin Philharmonic over policy difference with Goebbels. Nevertheless he conducted concerts in support of his country’s war effort (10). The Third Reich did, in fact give substantial support to the arts, at least to what did not offend the regime. Accepted artists did have a surprising extent of artistic freedom. Often exceptions were made in the case of Jews; one instance is that of Leo Blech. And those who were apprehensive that Germany would become a cultural vacuum once many of the Jewish artists left, proved to be wrong. Several great musicians remained in the country and flourished mainly because of government support. Actually, the Nazi Party’s perception of arts was quite different from what their critics often made it out to be. The conviction of the Nazis was that the arts, especially music, was an expression of nation’s soul, character, aspirations and ideals (11). Achievements in the cultural fields were a matter of national pride. They generated a sense of unity, a kind of cohesiveness. It was something like liturgy that should remain unpolluted and focused. The apprehension that modern trends in arts could possibly tarnish the traditional purity could have been quite genuine though misplaced. That of course is a far cry from the concept of sub-human entities. The Third Reich substantially enhanced State funding for the arts. Apart from individual artists, institutions and events like the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bayreuth Wagner Festival benefited considerably. But a far more important impact of the generous government support was that music was brought to the people. They enjoyed it, and were proud of it. A new generation grew up with the great compositions ingrained in their hearts. A rather strange but nevertheless relevant case is that of Lili Marlene, the most popular World War II song. The lyrics written by a German soldier in 1915 was dug out of the shelves and set to, surprisingly, marching tune by Norbert Schultze in 1938. Rommel liked the song and it was broadcast daily over Radio Belgrade and became a morale booster for the Afrika Korps. But, in what could be termed as a faux pas the Allied solders too took up the tune and the English version came. Music knows no boundaries; it transcends politics. Contrary to his public image, Hitler was an art enthusiast, particularly of music. He regarded the works of the great German master as the expression of the nation’s soul. In spite of objections of the German top brass, he protected Furtwangler. He extended sustained support to leading artists Max Lorenz and Frida Leider even though both had married Jews (12). Notwithstanding all these, terror, undoubtedly, was Hitler’s main weapon for the kind of control that he desired. Many Germans genuinely supported him. They appreciated the socio-cultural stability that was established. The Church was maneuvered into doing a tightrope act, but retained a considerable degree of independence. When severe practices like euthanasia and the gassing of the Jews came into light the Church did protest. But an unsavory feeling that the Church could have done more to prevent the outrageous events that occurred, remains. This is accentuated by the fact that those who suffered most were not very friendly to the Church. We are far removed from the times of the Third Reich and sufficiently detoxified emotionally to make a detached assessment. But inconvenient questions do emerge. When Furtwangler was produced before a ‘de-nazification’ tribunal he defended himself with words to the effect: The fear of being misused for propaganda purposes was wiped out by the greater concern for preserving German music as far as was German, whatever may be thought of that abroad, and I dot regret having done it for the German people (13). The tribunal could not establish a sustainable case against him. But afterwards when he was invited to be director of the Chicago Symphony, there were aggressive protests and even death threats against him. He withdrew. Like all remarkable events in history, the Third Reich episode contains elements of the good, the bad and the ugly. But unfortunately, the proportions were unacceptably warped. What drove Hitler on the road that he chose would continue to be analyzed by researchers. Perhaps there is more to surface yet. Ends. Notes & bibliography. 1. In the Christian world, the Patriarch of Rome (Latin Church) and the Patriarch of Alexandria are addressed as ‘Pope’. 2. Bloody Verdict of Verden. 3. Hambacher Celebration. 4. Book burning ceremony, Berlin. 5. Comte de Gobineau and Houston Stewart Chemberlain among others. 6. Joe Mysak, blooberg.net 7. Holocaust Encyclopedia. 8. Ibid. 9. Anonymous Student, All Free Essays .com 10. Charles, Antony. Wilhem Frutwangler and Music in the Third Reich. Source: Journal of Historical Review. German Culture.com 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. Read More

Unemployment and poverty were rampant. The government remained an impotent observer. It was in this situation that Adolph Hitler stepped in to take over the reigns. In fact, the President, Paul von Hindenburg, appointed him as Chancellor on January 29, 1933. Perhaps the President had no other choice, and in any case, his action was well within the democratic framework. But what followed was not. On the excuse of a fire at the Reichstag, an emergency was decreed and democracy became a thing of the past.

All legislative powers were vested in the government. Fundamental rights were abolished. When von Hindenburg died in August 1934, Hitler assumed Presidential powers. The armed forces swore personal allegiance to him. Germany became a single party state. The Nazi party wings, SA, SS, Gestapo, the state security police, clamped an iron grip on the country. This was no surprise to those who had read Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’. The book had provided sufficient pointers. It was the beginning of a modern police state.

What followed were brainwashing, enforcement and genocide, and of course, the Second World War for which the people and the country were carefully prepared for nearly six years. The main objective of the Third Reich was to achieve the purity of race. Only the ‘Aryans’ had the right to be in Germany. The country belonged to them and no one else had any right to be there. The others were sub-humans. The unfortunate lot included “prostitutes, homosexuals, handicapped, drunks, tramps, Jews, the ‘work-shy’, gypsies and habitual criminals” (6).

Their jobs and possessions were taken away. They were tortured, discriminated against, confined ghettos, sometimes jailed and killed. Euthanasia programs for non-Aryans were encouraged. The Holocaust was to follow. Alongside with the policy of extermination and dehumanization, propagation of the purest race was also taken up. Patriotic women of racial purity were called upon to perform a great duty for the nation. They were aggressively exhorted to beget as many “Aryan” children as they possibly could (7).

That was duty and not prostitution or immorality in the eyes of the Third Reich. Many Germans danced to the tune. The reasons are many. Hitler gave them a sense of direction. He provided an avenue for the German pride to emerge again. Germany was again on its way to its rightful position in the community of nations. Clarity was emerging out of the chaos of the Weimar republic. Many compromised out of fear. The sound of boots and the midnight knock were often real, and intimidating. Jews formed less than 1% of the population and were incapable of offering any meaningful resistance.

It is amazing how Hitler could have implemented a great cultural revolution in a span of just six years, to the Second World War. This was achieved through what was called ‘synchronization of culture’, under the guidance of Joseph Gobbles the Nazi Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda. Cultural organizations were sanitized from Jews and other suspect sub-human beings. In September 1933 a Reich Culture Chamber was created. It consisted of Reich Film Chamber, Reich Music Chamber, Reich Theater Chamber, Reich Press Chamber, Reich Writing Chamber, Reich Chamber for Fine Arts and the Reich Radio Chamber (8).

Almost all non-Aryans were removed from the German cultural scene as well as the government. Nazi version of art emphasized the peasantry, romanticism of war and the ‘Aryan’. Modern art and impressionist paintings were considered degenerative. Thousands of paintings were consigned to flames. And, book-burning ceremonies were held to destroy works of suspect authors. On May 10, 1933, university students set ablaze more than 25,000 volumes because they allegedly contained ‘un-German’ ideas.

A hundred years previously, H. Heine had said, “Where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned, too (9). A blacklist of unacceptable books was prepared for purging from libraries.

Read More