UI Social Responsibility Nazi Propaganda Essay – Description
Read “Nazi Propaganda” in Part 4 – “Music & Society”
In four paragraphs, discuss the following items:
Paragraph 1: What is propaganda and how does it work? What should you do when you hear or see propaganda?
Paragraph 2: How can music be used as propaganda? Can you give current and historical examples of music being used as propaganda?
Paragraph 3: During World War 2, in Germany, composers were ordered to have their music checked by the government, and they were given orders to write music that celebrated German racial superiority. If you were one of these composers/musicians, what would you do? Would you compose music that glorified the German military and the Nazi party, or would you disobey and risk your own life? In a situation like this, which is more important–your duty to your country, or your duty to your own conscience?
Paragraph 4: What is your social responsibility in selecting political leaders (voting), and why is this important?
ARTICLE BELOW:
Nazi Germany had a desire to create a pure German cultural world, which was the purview of one of the central government organs, the Reichskulturkammer (RKK), or Reich Chamber of Culture. The musical division of the RKK was the Reichsmusikkammer (RMK), meaning Reich Chamber of Music. According to composer Richard Strauss, this was “the dream and goal of all German musicians for decades” and “an important step in the direction of the reconstruction of our total German musical life.” It was probably a surprise to Strauss when the Reichsmusikkammer banned his music in 1935, probably due to Jewish members in his family.
The name of the game was “good German music,” which Hitler and Goebbels believed was best represented by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. Hitler identified himself with the “strong German” Beethoven, loved the serious Teutonic compositions of Wagner, and saw in Bruckner a representative of the honest, humble roots of the German people at large. Other “good German” artists included Hans Hotter (whom Hitler called “the baritone of the future” even though Hotter allegedly made fun of him at parties), Clemens Krauss (to whom Hitler took a weird liking and forced to work for the music ministry in Munich in spite of his only wanting to return to Vienna), and Elly Ney (a former child prodigy who was virulently anti-Semitic, a feeling dating back to a hated Jewish piano teacher when she was 10 years old).
In late 1937, RMK Director Peter Raabe declared, “All foreign music that shall be distributed in Germany by music publishers must be submitted to the Music Inspecting Authority of the Reich Propaganda Ministry. It is prohibited to distribute sheet music that has been declared as unwanted by the Music Inspecting Authority.” It took a couple of years, however, before a comprehensive censorship policy on music was fully in place, prohibiting “music whose composers, lyricists, arrangers, or publishers are Jews or members of enemy states (England, Poland, Russia, France; Bizet-Carmen and Chopin are exceptions).”
Musical propaganda was an important part of the Hitlerjugend, or Hitler Youth movement, most particularly group singing. An internal memo described the importance: “[It is] precisely during celebrations and singing events [that] we have an excellent opportunity to have a political effect wide beyond the typical formation . . . Songs possess the strongest community-building power. Thus we use them deliberately at those moments when we want to waken the consciousness of being part of a community, in order to deepen the power of such an experience.”Music was seen as a way to increase group cohesion and loyalty, and Hitler Youth children were given regular vocal and instrumental music lessons as part of their core curriculum. Hitler Youth members commonly performed at festivals and the birthday parties of senior Nazi officials.
Excerpt from https://listverse.com/2015/07/31/10-disturbing-exa…
The post UI Social Responsibility Nazi Propaganda Essay first appeared on .
