How did the Nazis try to control art and sport in Germany?

Learning objective – to be able to assess the effectiveness of Nazi control of art and sport. I can describe some of the ways that the Nazis used art and sport. Grade 5 I can explain the impact of Nazi control of art and sport. Grade 3 I can explain and assess the impact of Nazi control of art and sport. Grade 1

How did the Nazis try to control the arts? Under the leadership of Josef Goebbels, the Nazis created the Reich Chamber of Culture which was responsible for registering all those who were approved to work in the performing arts. The Reich Chamber of Culture ensured that the Nazi message was central to artistic output in the regime.

How did the Nazis control music and theatre? Music was heavily censored. The Nazis banned ….. …… Jazz because they saw it was African-American music and therefore inferior. …… any composers who had Jewish roots, such as Mendelssohn. The Nazis encouraged …… …. Music which promoted traditional German culture, such as Richard Wagner’s classical pieces and folk music. ….. Plays on German history and politics. This was a cheap way of getting the Nazi message across.

How did the Nazis control art? Hitler saw himself as an expert artist and had strong views on art. He saw modern art as ‘degenerate’ and was banned. The Nazis encouraged art which promoted Germany’s past greatness and the strength and vision of the Nazis. This was reflected in the ‘perfect’ image of the Aryan German and traditional gender roles who often featured in Nazi art. Architecture was important to Hitler who saw the classical ‘monumental’ style dominate for new public buildings under the Nazis.

How did the Nazis control sport? The Nazi regime thought that sport was a good opportunity to show Nazi Germany in a good light. Physical Education was a prominent part of the school curriculum and healthy and fit children would be the future soldiers of Germany. They used the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a way of showing the world that Nazi Germany was a civilised society and boost their international reputation as well as domestic popularity. The ways the Nazis used the Olympics were – Building the Olympic Stadium which could hold 110,000 people – the largest stadium capacity in the world. It was faultlessly organised – showing precision and efficiency. The Germans won more medals than any other country. However, the main story that hit the international headlines was the Jesse Owens 4 Gold Medal haul.

Look at the pieces of art and culture below Look at the pieces of art and culture below. Which ones do you think the Nazis would have approved of and which ones would they have banned?   A German folk dance A public building with a statute of a Greek God in front of it A jazz tune A classical music concert of Brahms pieces A painting by Mondrian A painting of an Aryan family A play about political intrigue and Communists being defeated A sports festival

Cut out the source below and annotate it, adding your own knowledge to the key points made in the source. Source X German sport has only one task: to strengthen the character of the German people, filling it with the fighting spirit and steadfast camaraderie necessary in the struggle for existence. From a speech by Goebbels, 23rd April, 1933

Plenary – a touch of Scrabble What are the three key words from this lesson that sums up your learning? Which word has the highest value if you used in a game of Scrabble? Compare with the person next to you. Which word has the highest value?