The Golden Age

• The early 1920s

  • They were a difficult and unstable time in Germany
  • As well as having to come to terms with defeat in the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles' punishments, it was a time of invasion, hyperinflation, putsches and murders
  • There were great cultural changes in Germany at this time too: cinema, art, literature, and music changed dramatically
  • But these changes were not welcomed by all Germans
• A 'golden age'?

  • The 1920s have been called a golden age for German artists, writers, poets and performers, who became known for their creativity and innovation
  • Before the First World War, the Kaiser kept tight control on all types of entertainment, but these controls were removed in Weimar Germany and now many German people felt a new sense of freedom
  • After the horrors of the war and the difficulties of the early 1920s, many people decided to experiment with new ideas and try new things
• Cinema

  • Cinema became very popular in Weimar Germany
  • Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang, was the most technically advanced film of the decade, while German-born actress Marlene Deitrich became a worldwide star playing glamorous, strong willed women
• Nightlife

  • Germany became a centre for new plays, operas and theatre shows during this time
  • Musicians performed vulgar songs about politicians that would've been banned during the Kaiser's rule
  • Berlin, in particular, was famous for its nightclubs with live bands that played American jazz music
  • Some clubs provided dancers who appeared naked, or put on 'transvestite evenings' where people would cross-dress
• Literature

  • Writing became big business - people had 120 newspapers and magazines to choose from
  • A German anti-war novel, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' by Erich Remarque, sold half a million copies in just three months
• Art

  • Art was flourishing in the 1920s
  • Avant-garde artists such as Otto Dix and George Grosz believed art should show the reality of everyday life, in particular the differences in social classes and society, and should make people think
  • They tried to show what Germany was actually like at this time and often painted in a way that criticised current events
• Design

  • A new group of designers and architects began work at this time
  • They were known as the Bauhaus and designed anything from chairs to coffee pots to office buildings
  • They believed in modern, simple and practical designs, rather than the more elaborate designs of long ago
• Reactions to the cultural changes

  • While some Germans embraced the changes, others hated them
  • They wanted art, music, theatre, film and literature to celebrate the older, traditional values of Germany
  • They thought the new nightclubs, shows and paintings were leading Germany into a moral decline
  • Berlin was viewed by some as corrupt and sex-obsessed
  • The Nazis, for example, openly criticised the nightclubs and art of this period, and when Hitler finally came to power in 1933, many Weimar artists and performers had to flee Germany