Description
Book Synopsis BETWEEN 1933 AND 1945 MEMBERS OF THREE GROUPS—THE Nazi fascists, Inner Emigration, and Exiles—fought with equal fervor over who could definitively claim to represent the authentically “great German culture,” as it was culture that imparted real value to both the state and the individual. But when authorities made pronouncements about “culture” were they really talking about high art? This book analyzes the highly complex interconnections among the cultural-political concepts of these various ideological groups and asks why the most artistically ambitious art forms were viewed as politically important by all cultured (or even semi-cultured) Germans in the period from 1933 to 1945, with their ownership the object of a bitter struggle between key figures in the Nazi fascist regime, representatives of Inner Emigration, and Germans driven out of the Third Reich.
Trade Review CHOICE OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE 2013
“What makes this volume particularly valuable is the book's comprehensiveness. Its encyclopedic range will enable students to get a real sense of the complexity of the arts under German fascism…n sum this well-written volume by a master in his field will be an extremely useful guide to interwar German culture…Essential.” · Choice
“[The author] closes with a rich, extensive discussion of the efforts of German émigré artists and filmmakers to secure a cultural heritage from fascist barbarism… This monograph has so much to offer… Students of the Nazi years can learn a great deal too from how Hermand masterfully interweaves analyses of three immensely complicated cases. Finally, the breadth of knowledge on display is remarkable. Culture in Dark Times will be an extremely valuable work for scholars engaging with the imbrications of culture with barbarism in Germany’s twentieth century.” · German History
“Hermand is to be congratulated on successfully bringing together a significant amount of information in a study which covers a great deal of ground. The resulting book…is a tribute to Hermand’s vast knowledge of the topic, and his ability always to be in control of his material. A worthwhile select bibliography rounds off a useful volume, which is further enriched by a number of fascinating illustrations.” · Bulletin of the German Historical Institute London
“As in all his books, Hermand impresses…with a wealth of information as much as stylistic elegance. He offers the reader a more precise insight into all that posturing normally described as opportunism, blindness, adjustment, escapism, public spirit or resistance.” · Das Historisch-Politische Buch
Table of Contents Preface
Chapter 1. Three Claims to Cultural Representation
Part I: Nazi Fascism
Chapter 2. Cultural-Political Preconditions
Chapter 3. Enemy Stereotypes
Chapter 4. Stated Objectives
Chapter 5. The Ideal of an « Eternally German » Culture
Chapter 6. Approaches to Practical Implementation
Chapter 7. Consequences for the Arts
- Architecture
- Painting and Sculpture
- Music
- Literature
- Theater
- Radio, Film, and the Press
Chapter 8. Class-Specific Successes of National Socialist Cultural Policies
Part II: Inner Emigration
Chapter 9. Between Aversion and Accommodation
Chapter 10. Forms of Artistic Expression
- Literature
- Painting and Sculpture
- Music
Part III: Exile
Chapter 11. Fragmentation of the German Exile Community
Chapter 12. Places of Refuge
Chapter 13. Possibilities for an Effective Antifascism
Chapter 14. Consequences for the Arts
- Literature
- Theater
- Film
- Painting, Graphic Art, and Photomontage
- Music
Chapter 15. Visions of a “Liberated” Culture in Post-Fascist Germany
Selected Bibliography
