Walter Benjamin’s essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, published well into the Nazis’ tenure in Germany describes fascism in its epilogue as “the introduction of aesthetics into political life.” For this purpose, it is important to understand the denotative meaning of “aesthetics.” The Oxford Dictionary defines aesthetics as “a set of principles concerned with the appreciation of beauty.” Additionally, it can also refer to “a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.” Adolf Hitler and the Nazis established this “aesthetic” in Nazi Germany through multiple means: They created a clearly defined ideal of what was beautiful in appearance and what was degenerate, they had a clearly …show more content…
Nothing is fictionalized for the screen, nothing dramatized. Leni Riefenstahl literally transforms a very real event into a work of art, broadcast across Germany and the world to show the visual power of the Nazi regime. The rally itself is truly a work of art. Carefully choreographed, with 700,000 supporters present beside thousands of flags and Nazi standards, soldiers dressed exactly alike, with Albert Speer’s Cathedral of Light shining over all of them. To me, that Nuremberg Rally and its permanent preservation in Triumph des Willens represents, well, the triumph of the Nazi …show more content…
A desire to be beautiful and right in the Third Reich’s eyes while simultaneously rejecting all that was degenerate and different bound Germans together. Symbols of racial superiority and history, as well as a small, easily seen and grasped palate of colors carefully chosen by a shrewd and well-run propaganda ministry and culture police to work together with the Nazis’ social aesthetics, made it easier for Germans to come together and form a new Germany, one that would last for 1,000
The presence of an overwhelming and influential body of government, dictating the individuals of contextual society, may potentially lead to the thoughts and actions that oppose the ruling party. Through the exploration of Fritz Lang’s expressionist film, Metropolis (1927), and George Orwell’s politically satirical novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1948), the implications of an autocratic government upon the individuals of society are revealed. Lang’s expressionist film delves into the many issues faced by the Weimar Republic of Germany following the “War to end all wars” (Wells, 1914), in which the disparity between the upper and lower classes became distinctively apparent as a result of the ruling party’s capitalistic desires. Conversely, Orwell’s,
According to the Breman Museum, “the Nazi Party was one of the first political movements to take full advantage of mass communications technologies: radio, recorded sound, film, and the printed word” (The Breman Museum). By publishing books, releasing movies and holding campaigns against Jews, antisemitism came to grow quickly, spreading all across Germany. The Nazi Party often referred to the notion of a “People’s Community” where all of Germany was “racially pure” (Issuu). They would show images of ‘pure’, blond workers, labouring to build a new society. This appealed greatly to people who were demoralized during Germany’s defeat in World War 1 and the economic depression of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
In the years between 1933 and 1945, Germany was engulfed by the rise of a powerful new regime and the eventual spoils of war. During this period, Hitler's quest for racial purification turned Germany not only at odds with itself, but with the rest of the world. Photography as an art and as a business became a regulated and potent force in the fight for Aryan domination, Nazi influence, and anti-Semitism. Whether such images were used to promote Nazi ideology, document the Holocaust, or scare Germany's citizens into accepting their own changing country, the effect of this photography provides enormous insight into the true stories and lives of the people most affected by Hitler's racism. In fact, this photography has become so widespread in our understanding and teaching of the Holocaust that often other factors involved in the Nazi's racial policy have been undervalued in our history textbooks-especially the attempt by Nazi Germany to establish the Nordic Aryans as a master race through the Lebensborn experiment, a breeding and adoption program designed to eliminate racial imperfections.
The main purpose of the book was to emphasize how far fear of Hitler’s power, motivation to create a powerful Germany, and loyalty to the cause took Germany during the Third Reich. During the Third Reich, Germany was able to successfully conquer all of Eastern Europe and many parts of Western Europe, mainly by incentive. Because of the peoples’ desires and aspirations to succeed, civilians and soldiers alike were equally willing to sacrifice luxuries and accept harsh realities for the fate of their country. Without that driving force, the Germans would have given up on Hitler and Nazism, believing their plan of a powerful Germany...
The “Perfect race” idea, which Hitler got, was from an old group of people called the “Aryan Race.” This entire old race consisted of people with blue eyes, and blonde natural hair. The word “Aryan” even meant superior, or the best. The Aryan race was a racial group that was commonly used in the period of the late 19th century to mid-20th century to describe people from European and Western Asian heritage. Hitler wanted Germany to be just like this because he thought these people would be looked up to, along with given more “Leibenstrum” Or living space; how Hitler put it.
An exploration of Jewish mixed blood status in Nazi Germany renders a brief history of anticipatory racial conceptions leading up to the Third Reich. The use of Mischlinge as well as other labels intended to denote mixed blood naturally evolved out of well-established racial conceptions central to Germany and the Third Reich ideology. This ideology, which existed as “an uneasy fusion of different strands of racial elitism and popularism,” defined persons as according to not only their Rasse or racial identity, but also membership of the German people or Volk (Hutton 15, 18). The idea of the Volk denoted not only shared language and heritage as well as right of citizenship, but the ordained right to inhabit German lands. Above all, this idea concerned triumphant unification of a German people perceived to be under threat of dissolution by ethnic and religious groups such as the R...
...er of dividing and attacking his enemies one by one. He would win over people with tempting promises. In conclusion Racism,National pride and peer pressure played a major role in the German peoples participation in or indifference’s towards the state-sponsored genocide and murders in Germany.
An explanation of the Nazi’s rise to power would be inadequate without some attention given to the origins of Hitler, the Nazi party and the world views which would eventually shape the foundatio...
Fascism may be described as an extreme right-wing movement in the form of a radical authoritarian nationalism. Fascism was first created in Italy by Mussolini in 1922 to 1943. Mussolini implemented force wherever necessary to ensure the continuation of the controlling environment he was trying to perfect. The Italian government was endeavouring to control nearly all aspects of life and had completely thrown the private and public spheres of life out of balance. A fascist state needs a strong leader who can motivate the nation to feel a huge sense of nationalism and thus increase the army’s size, have a nostalgia for the past, show a hatred of communism, no opposition parties or even perhaps create a scapegoat of the opposite party. A fascist state would also require state control over production and major banks to ensure control. In the beginning of 1933 when Adolf Hitler was given the chancellorship he began implementing these fascist ideals into the German society through propaganda speeches, passing legislation that banned certain practices and ignoring the binding clauses of the Treaty of Versailles and rebuilding the army to its former glory. Many historians have argued that the Nazi ruled Germany was a fascist state. This report will show that Nazi Germany was infact a fascist state in regards to women, children and the control of the government.
The degenerate arts were also linked to the “degenerate” people or people with deformities. His Christ-like image is reinforced in the film when in a sense he is raised from the dead (Taylor, 171). Hitler’s sense of divinity given in the film gives people the idea that he is what’s right for the country and promotes that his ideals are the correct ones. Nazi ideology was also promoted through propaganda.
The movie Triumph of the Will is about Hitler's activities in Nuremberg, which include, riding through the streets in a parade and giving speeches to crowds of supporters (Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will). The movie show excited people lining the streets to salute Hitler as he passes them (Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will). This use of photography show the viewers that the Nazi party is supported by the people of Germany. The director chooses to use closeup shots on the smiling faces in the crowds to show that people are happy and supportive of the Nazi movement. In contrast to close up shot, the director also chooses to use extreme long shots to show the massive crowds lining the streets. This again shows the viewer that not only a few people
I believe "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia" had different purposes. "Triumph of the Will" was intended as Nazi propaganda and to show the power of the Nazis. Its purpose was to show the world the strength that the Nazi regime had and that it was ready and we'll more than willing to fight for their beliefs. Evidence of this is found in the film all of the shots of the troops march marching the solutes with the guns the arm salutes to Hitler. Those are examples of the power and authority that Hitler had. The films were directed towards the leaders of other countries that they were ready to fight and to prove the power that the Nazis had. "Olympia" was intended for all viewers, not just a specific group.
One factor with somewhat minimal impact in the unification of Germany, however one still worthy of mentioning, was cultural cohesion and social change. During the nineteenth century the Romantic movement developed throughout Europe and in Germany it took the form of celebrating the German heritage and promoting cultural pride. Romantics such as Friedrich Ludwig Jahn glorified the rich history of the German peoples. Through literature and art romantics expressed the idea of Germany as “an organic folk community wrapped in a cloak of tradition” They strived to create a homogenous identity for all Germans. Another force with widespread social impac...
Aesthetics is the theoretical study of the arts and related types of behavior and experience. It is traditionally regarded as a branch of philosophy, concerned with the understanding of beauty and its manifestations in art and nature. However, in the latter 20th century there developed a tendency to treat it as an independent science, concerned with investigating the phenomena of art and its place in human life. Yet, what in a field with a hazy line in between being classified as a science or study of beliefs is considered data for determining what can be studied? It can simply be drawn to the only three things involved in the process of art : The creator, the person experiencing, and the art itself.
In the early 1930s, the country of Germany had developed a strong sense of nationalism that would soon become a critical factor for the future of the country. A major political figure by the name of Adolf Hitler emerged and began to inspire the German people. Citizens of every social class were entranced by his promises of a prosperous future (Study.com). Soon after, the formation of the “National Socialist Party” or “Nazi Party” occurred. Hitler’s speeches were designed to move and captivate the hundreds of thousands that would actively attend his rallies. He was able to capture so much affection and respect from the majority of the German people by stating “What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission