Culture Changes in Nazi Germany (Edexcel GCSE History)

How Did the Nazis Try to Influence German Culture? - Summary

Fear and intimidation through the police forces was not enough for the Nazis to guarantee compliance with their totalitarian regime. 

The Nazis - championed by Joseph Goebbels - used propaganda and censorship to control and influence the attitudes of the German people.

They objected to many modern aspects of culture and arts, especially those introduced during the Golden Years of Germany such as the Bauhaus movement.

Ideas about Germany’s past, traditional values and the family structure were all cultural beliefs that could be communicated through art, film, music and literature. Therefore, the Nazis quickly set about reforming the culture and arts sector. 

Through the Reich Chamber of Culture, Goebbels ensured that occupations such as artists, musicians and authors all adhered to strict rules and laws. Failure to follow the regulations set out often led to persecution and interference by the SS or Gestapo. As a result, throughout the 1930s there was a complete overhaul of cultural ideas.

Control of Culture and the Arts

• The Nazis objected to the Weimar Republic’s focus on modern art and culture

• They instead favoured romantic ideas about Germany’s past, the importance of family and strong values

• The Reich Chamber of Culture was set up in 1933 to make sure that all aspects of culture and the arts aligned with these Nazi beliefs

• Several Chambers were created under the Reich Chamber of Culture:

Chambers within the Chamber of Culture

Nazi Art

• All those involved in art were required to join the Reich Chamber of Creative Art:

  • Those who didn’t or couldn’t join were forbidden to teach, produce or sell art

  • Around 42,000 artists were accepted

• Art that did not conform to Nazi beliefs was removed:

  • Expressionist artwork produced by Picasso and Van Gogh was seen as too modern

  • In 1936, over 12,000 paintings and sculptures were removed from galleries

• Gestapo members would visit art studios to monitor the art being produced

• Artists were rewarded for producing art the Nazis did approve of:

  • The Greater German Art Exhibition featured 900 exhibits in 1936

Nazi Architecture

• The Nazis disliked the modern designs of the Bauhaus movement during the era of the Weimar Republic

• Hitler’s favourite architect was Albert Speer, who designed some of Nazi Germany’s most important buildings:

  • The Zeppelinfeld, the parade ground for the Nuremberg rallies

  • Added stone - a traditional building material - to the Berlin Olympic Stadium

• Many buildings were never completed because Nazi Germany was defeated in 1945

Nazi Music

• The Nazis promoted music that represented traditional aspects of German culture:

  • Wagner, Beethovan and Bach were liked for their focus on folk music

• Music produced by Jewish composers was censored:

  • A monument dedicated to the composer Mendelssohn was removed in 1936

• Jazz music was disliked because it was associated with Black people

  • Many jazz artists at the time were also of Jewish origins

Nazi Literature

• The Chamber of Culture approved books before they were published

• Around 2,500 writers were banned because they did not conform to Nazi beliefs:

  • Works by Einstein and Oppenheimer were banned because of their Jewish origins

  • Lenin's work was banned because it was based on communism, an ideology hated by the Nazis

• Millions of books were taken from libraries and universities, and burned on bonfires:

  • In May 1933, students in Berlin burned 20,000 books by anti-Nazi authors

  • Books from 34 cities in Germany were burned for being “unwanted”

  • Joseph Goebbels delivered a speech encouraging the burning of books to an audience of 40,000

Nazi Cinema

• The German film industry was very popular in the 1930s

• Film was used by the Nazis to spread messages using ‘modern’ technology

• Film plots had to be approved before they were made

• Newsreels showing Germany’s achievements were played before the start of films

• Films like Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl presented the strength and power of the Nazi Party

• Films like Hitlerjunge Quex were used to spread political messages about the threat of communism

• In total, 1,300 films were made by the Nazi Party