Nazi control of Culture and the Arts

• When was the Reich Chamber of Culture established by Goebbels?


  September 1933
• What was the primary role of the Reich Chamber of Culture?


  To ensure all arts aligned with Nazi ideals and ban 'degenerate' art
• What was required for painters and sculptors in Nazi Germany?


  They had to be approved members of the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts
• How many artists were accepted into the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts by 1936?


  42,000 artists
• What happened to over 12,000 paintings and sculptures by 1936?


  They were removed from galleries for not fitting Nazi ideas
• Which famous artists had their works removed by the Nazis?

  Picasso and Van Gogh
• What type of architecture did the Nazis dislike?

  Modernist and futurist architecture
• What architectural style did the Nazis prefer to use?


  Classical ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome
• Who was Hitler's favorite architect?


  Albert Speer
• What significant structures did Albert Speer design?


  The Nuremberg parade grounds and the Chancellery in Berlin
• What genre of music did the Nazis ban and why?

  Jazz, because it was associated with black people
• Which composer was banned by the Nazis for being Jewish?

  Mendelssohn
• What type of music was encouraged by the Nazis?

  Beethoven, Bach, and traditional German folk music
• Who was Hitler's favorite composer?


  Richard Wagner
• How many books were burned during the May 1933 ceremony?

  20,000 books
• Which types of authors' works were burned in the ceremony?

  Jewish, Communist, and anti-Nazi authors
• Which famous figures had their works burned during the ceremony?

  Einstein and Freud
• How many films did the Nazis produce?


  1,300 films
• What was the nature of many films produced by the Nazis?


  Many were purely entertainment
• What was the theme of the film 'Hitlerjunge Quex'?


  It idealized Nazis fighting against Communists
• What was the content of the propaganda cartoon 'Hansi the Canary'?


  It depicted Hitler fighting against evil crows representing Jewish people
• 1. Goebbels set up the Reich Chamber of Culture in September 1933.
• 2. Its role was to ensure all areas of the arts were consistent with Nazi ideals such as loyalty, discipline and self-sacrifice and that any art not falling into line would be branded ‘degenerate’ and banned.
• In art:

  3. All painters and sculptors had to be an approved member of the Reich Chamber of Visual Arts.

  4. 42,000 artists were accepted but by 1936, over 12,000 paintings and sculptures had been removed from art galleries for not fitting Nazi ideas, including the work of Picasso and Van Gogh.
• In architecture:

  5. The Nazis disliked ‘modernist’ and ‘futurist’ architecture. They built on a massive scale to give the impression of power and use classical ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome.

  6. Hitler’s favourite architect was Albert Speer, who designed the Nuremberg parade grounds and Government buildings such as the Chancellery in Berlin.
• In music:

  7. Using censorship, the Nazis banned Jazz for being the work of black people and Mendelssohn for being Jewish as they were seen as inferior peoples.

  8. Using propaganda, Beethoven, Bach and traditional German folk music was encouraged, while Richard Wagner and his operas about Germany’s past were Hitler’s favourite.
• In literature:

  9. Writers in Germany had to have their work approved by the Chamber of Culture.

  10. 2,500 writers had their work banned.

  11. In May 1933, there was public book-burning ceremony in Berlin in which students burned 20,000 books by Jewish, Communist and anti-Nazi authors including Einstein and Freud.
• In film:

  12. All film makers needed to have their films approved by Goebbels and the Nazis produced 1,300 of their own films.

  13. Many were purely entertainment, but some like ‘Hitlerjunge Quex’ idealised Nazis fighting against Communists.

  14. All films had government newsreels preceding them.

  15. There was even a propaganda cartoon for children, Hansi the Canary, representing Hitler, fighting against evil crows, representing the Jewish people.