Topic D Culture in Weimar Germany

Videos about Culture in Weimar Germany

Changes in culture 2nd Reich Conservative, authoritarian and conformist Weimar Republic Liberal society Ideas of toleration and reduced censorship The ‘Golden Years’ Changes in communication and media Film, radio and car

New cultural ferment ‘Neue Sachlichkeit’ (new practicality or new functionalism) Desire to show reality and objectivity

Weimar Art The visual arts saw an explosion in innovation in form and subject matter. Artists in favour of “Neue Sachlichkeit.” broke away from the traditional nostalgic view of the nineteenth century. These artists wanted to understand ordinary people in everyday life. Through their art they aimed to comment on the state of society. Georg Grosz and Otto Dix were painters who used strong political and social messages. These artists were also know as “Expressionists.” Expressionism: An art form which suggests that the artist transforms reality to express a personal look. Expressionist artists sought to express meaning or emotional experience rather than physical reality.

“Pillars of Society” Georg Grosz.

Otto Dix

Otto Dix – ‘War Cripples’

Architecture and Design Walter Gropius leader Functional Emphasised close relationship between art and technology. Motto “Art and Technology.”

Music and Opera Schoeneberg – atonality Gebrauchsmusik – music with practical purpose Zeitopera Opera of the time Modern issues from radical left Kroll Opera, Berlin

Theatre Zeittheater (theatre of our time) Realistic – actors sitting on toilet (critical of beourgeois society) Street theatre Mass audience Very left-wing and political Brecht ‘a theatre that makes no contact with the public is nonsense’

Caberet and Dance Especially Berlin Nightclubs Naked dancing Subversive songs Open homosexuality Charleston

Literature Against writing linked to the personal experience of the author in favour of literature with social and political purpose. Rich range of writing. Not all - “Neue Sachlichkeit.” Big sellers - traditional Thomas Mann Hans Grimm. Two best selling books of the time were, Erich Maria von Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Alfred Doblin’s “Berlin Alexanderplatz.”

Film Mass entertainment. German film industry most advanced in Europe. German film makers Respected for their high quality work and innovative film techniques. By the end of the 1920’s there were 500 cinemas in Germany. Helped by hyperinflation Borrow money which would be devalued by the time it came to be repaid. Expressionist which relied heavily on symbolism and artistic imagery rather than realism.

Film Expressionism - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Robert Wiene's painted a picture on the cinema screen non-realistic sets exaggerated geometry, images painted on the floors and walls to represent objects (and often light and shadow), and a story involving the dark hallucinations of an insane man.

Film Exaggerated acting styles. This was evident in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's “Nosferatu.”

Film The most famous filmmaker was Fritz Lang, who produced “Metropolis”, a critique of modern society.

Film Other notable films include in 1922, “Friedericus Rex”, a patriotic film about the great Prussian king Friedrich the Great.

Film “Friedericus Rex”, was a film that Germans flocked to see. Another major film was, “Blue Angel,” which featured Marlene Dietrich.

Reaction to Weimar Culture Positive Positive Welcomed the atmosphere of optimism and experimentation.

Reaction to Weimar Culture Negative Centre and nationalist parties - tide of “filth.” The Nazis Used Jews in culture to blame for problems Disrupted movies and theatre productions ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Kroll Opera House “Kampfbund fur Deutsche Kultur,” campaign against nudism, homosexuality, birth control, Americanisation and female emancipation. In favour of – churchgoing and family prayers

Reaction to Weimar Culture Negative In 1926, the Reichstag passed a law to protect “youth from pulp fiction and pornography.” List of publications not to be sold to under 18s – true crime, erotic magazines, sex education books Cultural decay Lazy un-German Weimar Republic Audiences booed experimental plays 1929 onwards Spending cuts affecting the ‘Arts’ Wilhelm Frick – Nazi Thuringian Interior Minister – 1930 Modern art out of museums Restricted jazz

Significance of Weimar Culture YES Artistic forms that were greatly to influence later cultural development. Bauhaus, for example influence on modern architecture and design. Confined to the cities and towns. urban German population had a higher chance of receiving a radio signal compared to their rural counterparts 46% in 1932 could receive radio in cities and towns 10% in 1932 in small villages

Significance of Weimar Culture NO Conservatives blamed the government for allowing traditional German culture to be undermined. ‘cultural Bolshevism’ “Unpatriotic” culture?! Rural population traditional forms of entertainment church festivals, choral societies and beer halls than go to plays or cinema. Left-wing Said it was ‘grey’ and ‘uninspiring’

Significance of Weimar Culture NO State control Controlled radio Georg Grosz – fined for defaming military, corrupting public morals and blasphemy