Assignment 5: Culture During the Mid Weimar-Era

Two of the novels produced

 during this "cultural bloom"

What I personally found particularly compelling about these chapters was the “cultural bloom” that occurred during the mid-Weimar period. This was a time when there was an influx of literature, art, and other cultural aspects. This cultural growth is particularly interesting because while it echoes previous cultural growths that occurred in the German nation, it also has some aspects that are unique to this movement. It is these differences that really piqued my interest and brought this section to my attention. However, first consideration must be given to the one thing that pervaded this and many German cultural revolutions before: the press.

Since Gutenberg first perfect the Chinese printing press, the press has been exceedingly important for cultural revolution in Germany. The clearest example of this is the time of Martin Luther, where he used the printing press extensively to mass-produce his works and spread his ideals to many people. The cultural revolution of the mid-Weimar era was no exception to this rule. During this time, there existed a great number of newspapers that not only provided basic reporting, but also provided commentary on the government. The political backings of the newspapers were wide and varied, but it was through this medium that many cultural ideas were allowed to spread throughout Germany (Schulze, 222). Now that we’ve gained an appreciation for how this revolution was similar to previous one, it’s time to examine the differences that sets this cultural revolution apart from others.

One of the popular newspapers of the mid Weimar-era

 One of the biggest things that grabbed my interest was how this period of cultural growth was marked by the dissolution of the bourgeois class. Before the mid-Weimar era, “The loss of the war and the periodic catastrophic inflation that followed had shaken the confidence of the bourgeois society and ended its role as a distinct class…” (Schulze, 220). Previously, all cultural revolution took place in the middle class, for example, when searching for the “German” identity, people would be directing their works towards the middle class (Schulze, 98). For this reason, this Cultural Revolution was slightly different; it was able to reach more people and more people felt as if they were participating in it when compared to previous times of cultural change. On the other hand, Schulze notes that, “…this does not mean that the new art was in any way more representative of mass culture or popular taste” (220). This is an interesting paradox; while more people were given the opportunity to participate in this cultural revolution, it still did not effectively represent the thoughts of the masses. It appears that rather than representing the general or popular opinion, the German cultural scene was represented by two extremes; the leftists and the rightists.

Schulze notes that, “The far left and the far right made up the great majority of the Weimar cultural scene…” (221). The culture during the Weimar-era is interesting because it is headed by two groups that represent two extremes of thought that were both shaped by the same event, namely the Great War. In the case of the leftists, they learned that everything to do with the military or killing was both evil and senseless. On the diametric opposite side, the rightist remembered, “…the fiery furnace in which a new kind of man had been forged of blood and iron” (Schulze, 221).  Although these two sides both drew different conclusions after the war, there was one thing that brought them together; their disdain for the existing democratic government of the time. Writers, artists, musicians, and other individuals involved in the cultural world were quick to mock and ridicule this system. I personally find this interesting because the culture was so divided but they could agree to hate the governing system that ruled over them all. Such a strong cultural divide on every subject but the government leads me to believe that having a culturally common enemy was what brought the German culture together on a superficial, but significant, level. This cultural convergence of attitudes and disdain for the current government represents a time of growth not only for Germany, but a society perfectly prepared to listen to Hitler's ideals.

Word Count: 706

Assignment 4: Chapters 3 - 5

            This reading was interesting because it’s the beginning of the German people beginning to recognize themselves as the German people. Perhaps because I don’t live in a time when countries are still forming, but I never really understood the concept of not “belonging” to a country. One of the things I found particularly interesting about this chapter was how the German nation was, as Hagen Schulze states, “…born in the minds of the intelligentsia…” (Schulze, 91).

Klopstock and Möser, two of the

middle-class intellectuals of the period

            Due to the fragmented nature of the German principalities, the German princes wanted to have complete control of their subjects. As a result, they needed a multitude of high-ranking officials who would be able to report back to them about their subject’s life. This phenomenon made it so “aristocratic birth no longer sufficed; what was needed were ability and qualifications…” (Schulze, 89). To ensure that they received the support they so desperately sought, the princes began to construct secondary schools, universities, and other areas of academics. The growth and increasing importance of the middle class allowed for there to be a shift in the balance of power. Aristocrats were quickly becoming less significant as this middle class gained both size and clot. It’s no small wonder that this class began to conceptualize the idea of “Germany” – not only were they highly educated, they were also given power for the first time. As history has shown, once an individual is given power, they are unlikely to give it up without a fight.

            When attempting to establish the identity of Germany, one of the first things the intellectual set out to do was establish a standard German language. Once this was established, individuals began to write in this language. Writing in the standard German language allowed writers to, “…identify themselves with the modern spirit being embraced by middle-class Germans throughout many regions…” (Schulze, 89). The creation of this universal language not only allowed the German middle-class to form an identity of what it meant to be German, but also stood to set them apart from the French. This was a time period when France was very influential in Europe. It was a small thing, but a universal German language not only allowed individuals to communicate with each other more effectively, but also gave them a solid idea to cling to. Germany was no longer this ephemeral idea in the ether; it was a solid, unified language that individuals could point to and indicate as the factor that tied everything together.

A representation of peasants working in a leather shop

            While it was well and good that the German middle-class were beginning to identify as German, Germany was not unified or recognized as a “country” at this point in time. Historians, such a Justus Möser, may have been writing for the German people, and poets, such as Klopstock, may have been writing for the German people, but in actuality, they were only reaching the aforementioned middle-class. While the middle-class and the growth of culture certainly helped to begin the growth of the German nation, it also placed a limit on who exactly was the German nation. The intellectual class was the important people, they were after all the ones who had begun to envision the idea of “Germany”, and so if an individual wanted to write to the German people, they were going to write to this middle class. Compare the images of intellectuals presented and peasants presented. These images represent two groups that seem to have little or nothing in common. The peasants are one group and the intellectual middle-class are another. As the Schulze notes, “…four out of five Germans were rooted in peasant traditions, and experienced their only connection with the larger realm of politics when they prayed for the ruling class on Sunday…” (90). “Four out of five” is a staggering figure and really gives one cause for pause. A large portion of the supposedly “German” people weren’t being spoken to. They had no notion of the concept of “Germany. The conception of Germany needed to move beyond the minds of the intelligentsia and be embraced by the common individual. It is only at this point that the German nation can start to emerge and forge its own identity.

Word Count: 717