Anti- Intellectualism in Nazi Germany Thought Control.
-
Upload
howard-morgan -
Category
Documents
-
view
229 -
download
0
Transcript of Anti- Intellectualism in Nazi Germany Thought Control.
Anti-Anti-Intellectualism in Intellectualism in
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Thought ControlThought Control
What is What is AntiAnti-Intellectualism?-Intellectualism?
A sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits
Attacks on the merits of science, education, literature
Not just about hating intellectualism: it’s about the values in its place
John Locke on IntellectualismJohn Locke on Intellectualism
“I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information, and to my rule of conversing with all descriptions of men on those topics that form their own peculiar [opinions].”—John Locke
“New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.”—John Locke
Consequences of Consequences of AntiAnti-Intellectualism-Intellectualism
A society where individual thought is compromised, and the preservation of truth is minimal
Authorities take more power--Cannot be challenged; there is no
intellectual spirit of dissent
Consequences of Consequences of Anti-Anti-IntellectualismIntellectualism
Emergence of Pseudoscience(e.g., Eugenics)
Rewriting of History Destruction of Classical Literature
Nazi Nazi AntiAnti-Intellectualism-Intellectualism
Knowledge that benefited state was allowed, e.g., war technology
Individual learning was frowned upon• Independent thinking v public opinion• Propaganda: new form of education
Repression of the truth in favor of that which stirs up emotion
CENTRAL QUESTIONCENTRAL QUESTION
Why was Why was antianti--intellectualism such a intellectualism such a
critical element in critical element in sustaining Nazi sustaining Nazi
culture from 1933-culture from 1933-1945?1945?
Why Burn Books?Why Burn Books?
A way of venting anger• Symbolic transition of cultural values• Intellectualism to radical emotionalism
Unifies community in ritual behaviors
Intimidates the intellectual community• Angry mobs• lost touch with traditional values
The Burning of the BooksThe Burning of the Books
May 10, 1933• Nazi Party declares that any book
“which acts subversively on our future or strikes at the root of German thought, the German home and the driving forces of our people...” is to be burned.
• Jewish intellectuals were primary targets, but many non-Jews who challenged the Third Reich were suspect as well
Burning of the BooksBurning of the Books Students led by Brown Shirts ran through
the streets rampaging libraries, synagogues, and private homes for books
Confiscated books were thrown onto bonfires with ceremony
Mob CensorshipMob Censorship
Nazi leaders encouraged burnings, but discouraged any publicity
Aftermath
• Frightened intellectuals, Jewish and non-Jewish, fleeing Germany
• “Jewish intellectualism is dead”—Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda, after the 1933 Book Burning
Authors of Books Burned 5/10/33Authors of Books Burned 5/10/33 Albert Einstein Havelock Ellis Lion Feuchtwanger Sigmund Freud André Gide Franz Kafka Erich Kästner Helen Keller Alfred Kerr Jack London Heinrich Mann Thomas Mann Karl Marx
Hugo Preuss Marcel Proust Walter Rathenau Erich Maria
Remarque Margaret Sanger Arthur Schnitzler Upton Sinclair Jakob Wasserman H. G. Wells Stefan Zweig Emile Zola
EDUCATION INEDUCATION INTHE THIRD REICHTHE THIRD REICH
Two Jewish students are humiliated in front of their
class. The writing on the
board proclaims, “The Jew is our greatest
enemy! Beware of the
Jew!"
The Nazi ClassroomThe Nazi Classroom
The Curriculum• Racial biology and
eugenics
• Celebratory German history
• Discipline, duty, obedience, courage
• Physical training—Body over mind
• No concern for the “spirit of academics”
“The Jewish Nose is Wide at the End and
Looks like the number six”
The Nazi ClassroomThe Nazi Classroom
Task of the Educator• Strengthen the soul and spirit of
youth• Instill nationalism in younger
generation• Prepare students for service, and
even self-sacrifice to the Reich
NO INTENTION OF EDUCATING THE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE SAKE OF THE
INDIVIDUAL
The Nazi ClassroomThe Nazi Classroom
The Goal: to root out values of…
• Liberal individualism
• Rationalism
• Intellectualism… a complete 180° from the ideals of
Locke and the Enlightenment!
RationaleRationale Trained children to be good
soldiers for the State• Easier to accept a total authority if you
don’t know how to think for yourself• Control what is taught and thought
Ultimate Goal• In Democracies: Student learns so he
may benefit himself• In Totalitarian Germany: Student
learns so he may benefit the state
Adolf Hitler on EducationAdolf Hitler on Education "Universal education is the most
corroding and disintegrating poison that liberalism has ever invented”—Adolf Hitler
"Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round”—Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler on EducationAdolf Hitler on Education
"The folkish state must not adjust its…educational work…to the inoculation of mere knowledge, but to the breeding of absolutely healthy bodies…And here again, first place must be taken by the development of character, especially the promotion of will-power and determination, combined with the training of joy in responsibility, and only in last place comes scientific schooling." –Mein Kampf
Clip from Clip from Triumph of the WillTriumph of the Will
• Hitler is admired• Promotes emotionalism• Note the serious faces and militarism of
young boys
Why was the HJ necessary in Why was the HJ necessary in Nazi Germany?Nazi Germany?
Hitler believed the future of Nazi Germany was in its children
Create a generation that knew only Nazism
• No need to suppress individual thinking as adults
• People are imprinted with anti-intellectual ideology at a young age
Goals of the Hitler YouthGoals of the Hitler Youth
Train children for their roles as Nazi citizens
Men: “Wehrsport” (military training)
Women: Preparation for Aryan motherhood
Hitler’s View of the CorpsHitler’s View of the Corps
“The weak must be chiseled away. I want young men and women who can suffer pain...”
"I will have no intellectual training. Knowledge is ruin to my young men”
Relevance of the Hitler Jung toRelevance of the Hitler Jung toAntiAnti-Intellectualism-Intellectualism
The values of a culture result from the values instilled in its youth
• U.S.: pressure to do well in school, go to college, get a job, make money
• Nazi Germany: People were worth only what they contributed to the state
Nazi PopulismNazi Populism “Whoever can conquer the street
will one day conquer the state...”–Joseph Goebbels
Struggle against “privileged elite”• Jews• Non-German Internationalists
Intellectuals are elitists and tricksters• Hoodwink opponents with rhetoric• Communists and Non-conformists
The VolksgemeinschaftThe Volksgemeinschaft
The People’s Community• Established collective national spirit• Based on racial and national pride
Subliminal influence on cultureBureaucratization of censorship and propaganda
PEOPLE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES
The ReichskulturkammerThe Reichskulturkammer
Reich Culture Chamber Managed by Hans Hinkel Goals:
• Promote Good Culture• Root out, ban Bad Culture
Compulsory membership for all members of German media
HEIGHT OF ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM
Divisions of the Divisions of the ReichskulturkammerReichskulturkammer
Reichspressekammer (press) Reichsfilmkammer (film) Reichsrundfunkkammer (radio) Reichsmusikkammer (music) Reichsschriftumskammer
(literature) Reichstheaterkammer (theater) Reichskammer der bildenden
künste (fine arts)
The Ministry for Popular The Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and PropagandaEnlightenment and Propaganda Spread and enforced Nazi ideology Antithesis of intellectual-based culture Rampant anti-Semitism Infected all mediums of art and
literature
Ministry of PropagandaMinistry of Propaganda
In a totalitarian regime, public opinion must be molded to fit the state
Conversely, intellectualism demands:• A “marketplace of ideas”• Tolerance of dissent• Ability to question authority• Independent thought• Formulation of rational ideas
KristallnachtKristallnacht“Night of the Broken Glass”“Night of the Broken Glass”
Political assassination by Jew ignites spark Nazi youth pillage Jewish buildings The mob trumps individualism Considered beginning of Holocaust
Joseph Goebbels:Joseph Goebbels:Head of the Head of the AntiAnti-intellectual Serpent-intellectual Serpent
Dr. Paul Joseph GoebbelsDr. Paul Joseph Goebbels Head of Ministry for
Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda
A textbook example of the anti-intellectualism he promoted
Extreme, unconditional loyalty to Hitler
Goebbels on Goebbels on Truth and IntellectualismTruth and Intellectualism
“Intellectual activity is a danger to the building of character”
“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion”
“Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose”
The “Big Lie” TheoryThe “Big Lie” Theory
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”—Joseph Goebbels
AntiAnti-intellectualism-intellectualism A force that seeks to unify…
• The mind of a nation• The will of a nation
Censorship of truth• Idea that truth is irrelevant• Truth is dangerous
Propaganda is used to orchestrate the direction of public opinion
Contemporary Parallels Contemporary Parallels Regent University Law
Grads• Ranked Tier 4 School• Extremely conservative• 150 in Administration• Loyalty over intelligence
Firing of U.S. Attorneys• Serve at the pleasure of the
Chief Executive• No reasons given• Not based on performance
Repetitious RhetoricRepetitious Rhetoric Propaganda
• Overuse of the word “freedom”• Overgeneralization of “terror”• Simplification of good vs. evil
Stirring up emotions• 9/11 as a rallying point• Scapegoating “outsiders”
Karl Rove on Intellectualism Karl Rove on Intellectualism “As people do better, they start
voting like Republicans—unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing”