Propaganda And Censorship In Nazi Germany
Society is driven by many forces created by human interaction. Politics is one of the most influential and important human organizations simply because of the fact that it holds together the fabric of our social systems. Politics is driven by many mediums, one of which is propaganda through music. In the years between 1939 and 1945, Europe underwent a drastic change due to new political control by the National Socialist Party, and the events surrounding World War Two. Propaganda and censorship were at an all time high during this period of time, therefore music was widely influenced. Music that was traditionally used to portray positive German history was warped to fit the ideals of the Nazi Party as well as influence the highly impressionable
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German public. The volkisch movement, propaganda lead by Joseph Goebbels and the Reichmusikkammer all had huge impacts on the changes in Germany between 1939 and 1949. Nazis used German songs, heavily linked with national identity to promote the negative agenda of the National Socialist Party through censored organizations and drastic leadership. Music holds an important meaning for most human beings, therefore the manipulation of musical messages by the National Socialists was very influential on the German public. A commonly used term in German society was the word Volk which is German for folk, people, or nation. Volk is also a term commonly linked to music which leads to the creation of folk music or “music of the people”. During the years of World War Two, the term volk, which is a word linked to societal identity, was turned into a word that embodied the ideals of the Nazi Party. Volk music began to change into music that proclaimed a message of forceful purity and the importance of Adolf Hitler’s Aryan Race. Joseph Goebbels, chief of propaganda for the National Socialists, was a firm believer in the purity of German society which fed into the emerging volkisch movement. The notion of an entirely German-speaking race began to replace the importance of cultural unity. Ultimately, “Anthropological-biological homogeneity” became the only option in Germany due to Hitler’s dream of an Aryan Race. (Eichner, 23) The adjustment of the word volk can be seen in many pieces of music from the time period, two of which are “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” ("One nation, one empire, one leader”) and “Herrenvolk” (“Master race”). The most upsetting aspect of the volkisch movement was that the term “volk” should never have been disrupted by something as evil as the Nazi Party. German identity and history found in folk music was destroyed by musical purification. As German songs were continually being banned, certain organizations attempted to protest and protect the music they loved. One of the most active anti-Nazi protest groups in Germany was the White Rose movement which worked mainly between the years of 1942 and 1943. The White Rose consisted of students from the University of Munich who all shared the job of handing out anti-Nazi pamphlets. One of the most active members of The White Rose movement was Sophie Scholl, an active flautist and anti-Hitler activist. She and her brother, Hans, founded the White Rose movement together to attempt to bring and end to the musical and overall oppression in Germany. When Sophie’s father was taken captive in Ulm prison for verbally humiliating Adolf Hitler, Sophie played a famous song of freedom, called Die Gedanken sind frei, on her flute outside of the walls. Die Gedanken sind frei means “My Thoughts Are Free” which fit perfectly with the message of the White Rose Resistance. Eventually, Die Gedanken sind frei was proscribed just as all other songs of freedom were during World War Two. Their were continual protests through music during World War Two, many of which ended in extreme consequences. Sophie and Hans Scholl were brought before The Nazi People’s Court in February of 1943 and sentenced to death by beheading. Brave people fought for the music and ideals that they believed in, but were almost always brought down by the relentless evil of the National Socialists. As the the continually changing Volkisch movement moved through the country, Nazi propaganda became an unavoidable reality of everyday life in Germany. A Nazi leader named Joseph “Goebbels won over Rosenburg as well as Hitler, who also entertained strong views about the purity of art.” (Meyer, 92) Goebbels became the head of German propaganda and began to ‘purify’ the arts. Though not as influential as propaganda film, radio or press, musical propaganda gave rise to a far more organized structure than any other section of the arts. Musical organizations required a multitude of qualified personnel and even professional musicians. Musical propaganda represented a mostly unseen reality of the structure of Nazism. This is something important to note about every political arrangement. The stability of massive political systems, like the Nazi party, require countless people, even simple musicians, to create the building blocks of a cruel system. Joseph Goebbels may have been the face of Nazi propaganda, but significance lies in every person who contributed, including the great amount of German musicians who seemingly played voluntarily for the horrendous system that was the National Socialist Party. Rampant propaganda began to see the rise of Nazi songs like Horst Wessel Lied (The Flag on High), Es zittern die morschen Knochen (“The rotten bones are trembling”) and Blut muss fließen (“Blood Must Flow”). These were all famous Nazi songs created during World War Two to place terror in those unwilling to conform to Nazi Law. Horst Wessel Lied was a particularly stirring musical influence during wartime because it was the anthem associated with the Nazi Party. In modern day, Horst Wessel Lied is not allowed to be sung at all and comes with legal penalties if it is performed or uttered in public. Propaganda was incredibly high in Germany all throughout the 1930s and 1940s which saw rise to incredibly influential musical organizations. The National Socialists found many ways to govern society through musical propaganda and censorship, but perhaps the most influential way was through the Reichsmusikkammer.
Before the Reichsmusikkammer came to be, “Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels had unveiled a mammoth new organization called the Reichskulturkammer, the Reich Culture Chamber,” (Goldsmith, 70) in 1933. As the Reichskulturkammer progressed, it “was subdivided into separate chambers for music, theater, the visual arts, literature, film, radio, and the press.” (Goldsmith, 70) In 1933, the Reichsmusikkammer was formed to get a proper handle on the way German music was portrayed. On November 15, Joseph Goebbels announced that composer, Richard Strauss, was to be the new head of the Reichsmusikkammer. The Reichskulturkammer and all of chambers associated with it, including the Reichsmusikkammer were made to root out non-Aryan aspects of German society and produce material to showcase the new morals behind German music. One of the first things produced by the Reichsmusikkammer was a piece written by Paul Hindemith called Mathis der Maler (“The Mathis Symphony”). The symphony was intended to be an opening work from the Reichsmusikkammer to showcase a new and bold orchestral sound. As the onset of World War Two came near, the Reichsmusikkammer began to hold music days to influence large amounts of citizens all at once. The musical “holidays” were called Reichsmusikstage (Reich music days) and held significance because of the fact that they were intended to seem like a German tradition when, in reality, they were a forceful display of music that held no place in the hearts of German people. Exploited musical groups, including the Hitlerjugund (Hitler youth), gathered from around the world to perform in the Reich Music Days. In opening, Joseph Goebbels discussed “degenerate” music in Germany such as jazz, modernism and the dominating Bolshevik and Jewish music styles in Germany. Goebbels’ speech made
way for the new German music written by composers like Strauss, Hindemind and Wolfgang Stumme, music that deserved no place in German society. The National Socialist party found countless ways to manipulate Germany’s political system through music. Joseph Goebbels, the volkisch movement and the Reichsmusikkammer created an immense change in German politics during and World War Two which eventually lead to a mass amount of protest in the country. The fact that the National Socialist party completely limited freedom of musical expression and that they changed the message behind positive German songs is what lead to such unrest in their society. With the overthrow of the Nazi party in 1940, censored organizations were abolished and leaders responsible for the adjustment of music were captured or executed. It is incredibly fortunate that in modern times, historical German pieces have been restored. The original German pieces hold so much importance especially since they show that Germany’s soul and identity does not lie with the National Socialist Party. Propaganda is a dominating aspect of politics especially when a medium such as music, which is connected to so many people, is used to manipulate minds.
German public. The volkisch movement, propaganda lead by Joseph Goebbels and the Reichmusikkammer all had huge impacts on the changes in Germany between 1939 and 1949. Nazis used German songs, heavily linked with national identity to promote the negative agenda of the National Socialist Party through censored organizations and drastic leadership. Music holds an important meaning for most human beings, therefore the manipulation of musical messages by the National Socialists was very influential on the German public. A commonly used term in German society was the word Volk which is German for folk, people, or nation. Volk is also a term commonly linked to music which leads to the creation of folk music or “music of the people”. During the years of World War Two, the term volk, which is a word linked to societal identity, was turned into a word that embodied the ideals of the Nazi Party. Volk music began to change into music that proclaimed a message of forceful purity and the importance of Adolf Hitler’s Aryan Race. Joseph Goebbels, chief of propaganda for the National Socialists, was a firm believer in the purity of German society which fed into the emerging volkisch movement. The notion of an entirely German-speaking race began to replace the importance of cultural unity. Ultimately, “Anthropological-biological homogeneity” became the only option in Germany due to Hitler’s dream of an Aryan Race. (Eichner, 23) The adjustment of the word volk can be seen in many pieces of music from the time period, two of which are “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” ("One nation, one empire, one leader”) and “Herrenvolk” (“Master race”). The most upsetting aspect of the volkisch movement was that the term “volk” should never have been disrupted by something as evil as the Nazi Party. German identity and history found in folk music was destroyed by musical purification. As German songs were continually being banned, certain organizations attempted to protest and protect the music they loved. One of the most active anti-Nazi protest groups in Germany was the White Rose movement which worked mainly between the years of 1942 and 1943. The White Rose consisted of students from the University of Munich who all shared the job of handing out anti-Nazi pamphlets. One of the most active members of The White Rose movement was Sophie Scholl, an active flautist and anti-Hitler activist. She and her brother, Hans, founded the White Rose movement together to attempt to bring and end to the musical and overall oppression in Germany. When Sophie’s father was taken captive in Ulm prison for verbally humiliating Adolf Hitler, Sophie played a famous song of freedom, called Die Gedanken sind frei, on her flute outside of the walls. Die Gedanken sind frei means “My Thoughts Are Free” which fit perfectly with the message of the White Rose Resistance. Eventually, Die Gedanken sind frei was proscribed just as all other songs of freedom were during World War Two. Their were continual protests through music during World War Two, many of which ended in extreme consequences. Sophie and Hans Scholl were brought before The Nazi People’s Court in February of 1943 and sentenced to death by beheading. Brave people fought for the music and ideals that they believed in, but were almost always brought down by the relentless evil of the National Socialists. As the the continually changing Volkisch movement moved through the country, Nazi propaganda became an unavoidable reality of everyday life in Germany. A Nazi leader named Joseph “Goebbels won over Rosenburg as well as Hitler, who also entertained strong views about the purity of art.” (Meyer, 92) Goebbels became the head of German propaganda and began to ‘purify’ the arts. Though not as influential as propaganda film, radio or press, musical propaganda gave rise to a far more organized structure than any other section of the arts. Musical organizations required a multitude of qualified personnel and even professional musicians. Musical propaganda represented a mostly unseen reality of the structure of Nazism. This is something important to note about every political arrangement. The stability of massive political systems, like the Nazi party, require countless people, even simple musicians, to create the building blocks of a cruel system. Joseph Goebbels may have been the face of Nazi propaganda, but significance lies in every person who contributed, including the great amount of German musicians who seemingly played voluntarily for the horrendous system that was the National Socialist Party. Rampant propaganda began to see the rise of Nazi songs like Horst Wessel Lied (The Flag on High), Es zittern die morschen Knochen (“The rotten bones are trembling”) and Blut muss fließen (“Blood Must Flow”). These were all famous Nazi songs created during World War Two to place terror in those unwilling to conform to Nazi Law. Horst Wessel Lied was a particularly stirring musical influence during wartime because it was the anthem associated with the Nazi Party. In modern day, Horst Wessel Lied is not allowed to be sung at all and comes with legal penalties if it is performed or uttered in public. Propaganda was incredibly high in Germany all throughout the 1930s and 1940s which saw rise to incredibly influential musical organizations. The National Socialists found many ways to govern society through musical propaganda and censorship, but perhaps the most influential way was through the Reichsmusikkammer.
Before the Reichsmusikkammer came to be, “Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels had unveiled a mammoth new organization called the Reichskulturkammer, the Reich Culture Chamber,” (Goldsmith, 70) in 1933. As the Reichskulturkammer progressed, it “was subdivided into separate chambers for music, theater, the visual arts, literature, film, radio, and the press.” (Goldsmith, 70) In 1933, the Reichsmusikkammer was formed to get a proper handle on the way German music was portrayed. On November 15, Joseph Goebbels announced that composer, Richard Strauss, was to be the new head of the Reichsmusikkammer. The Reichskulturkammer and all of chambers associated with it, including the Reichsmusikkammer were made to root out non-Aryan aspects of German society and produce material to showcase the new morals behind German music. One of the first things produced by the Reichsmusikkammer was a piece written by Paul Hindemith called Mathis der Maler (“The Mathis Symphony”). The symphony was intended to be an opening work from the Reichsmusikkammer to showcase a new and bold orchestral sound. As the onset of World War Two came near, the Reichsmusikkammer began to hold music days to influence large amounts of citizens all at once. The musical “holidays” were called Reichsmusikstage (Reich music days) and held significance because of the fact that they were intended to seem like a German tradition when, in reality, they were a forceful display of music that held no place in the hearts of German people. Exploited musical groups, including the Hitlerjugund (Hitler youth), gathered from around the world to perform in the Reich Music Days. In opening, Joseph Goebbels discussed “degenerate” music in Germany such as jazz, modernism and the dominating Bolshevik and Jewish music styles in Germany. Goebbels’ speech made
way for the new German music written by composers like Strauss, Hindemind and Wolfgang Stumme, music that deserved no place in German society. The National Socialist party found countless ways to manipulate Germany’s political system through music. Joseph Goebbels, the volkisch movement and the Reichsmusikkammer created an immense change in German politics during and World War Two which eventually lead to a mass amount of protest in the country. The fact that the National Socialist party completely limited freedom of musical expression and that they changed the message behind positive German songs is what lead to such unrest in their society. With the overthrow of the Nazi party in 1940, censored organizations were abolished and leaders responsible for the adjustment of music were captured or executed. It is incredibly fortunate that in modern times, historical German pieces have been restored. The original German pieces hold so much importance especially since they show that Germany’s soul and identity does not lie with the National Socialist Party. Propaganda is a dominating aspect of politics especially when a medium such as music, which is connected to so many people, is used to manipulate minds.