2. Party Control of the Arts
STATE CONTROL
Under the auspices of the Reich, the foremost office for control of the Arts including Literature, Theatre, Graphic Arts and Painting, Opera, Music, etc
was the Reich Ministry of Propaganda headed by Goebbels. Goebbels knew the power of the Arts to be able to move a people to either allegiance or discord and disdain,
and his meticulous use of language combined with a complete and regimented system of control and authority at every level of expression helped the Reich to
literally silence even obscure and metaphorical forms of protest against the principles and goals of the Reich. The Ministry of Propaganda held complete sway
not only on whether a performance or exhibition could be held but on the content and manner in which it was conducted. Permission had to be obtained at local
and regional levels involving Party approval, and at the highest levels of the land regarding content and 'fitness' for Reich principles. Under the ultimate authority
of Goebbels, several additional State 'Bureaus" or "Chambers" were established to delegate registries of artists and performers and keep a close eye on content,
including:
The Reich Propaganda Ministry additionally according to German Propaganda Archives was given police powers over
| REICH PROPAGANDA MINISTRY CONTROLS | |
|---|---|
State Control over the arts registered the artists, provided general censorship and standards, coordinated efforts of overall concern in cooperation with the NSDAP structure for the Arts, regulated performance, and to some extent had a final say so over what would be heard and seen in Germany during WWII and who would be allowed a voice. It has already been mentioned that that at least early there was an effort not to sacrifice excellence for Party membership, although in proactice across the board, excellence in the performance Arts and Graphic arts declined, and creativity narrowed to adherence to Party standards.xx
NSDAP: The NAZI PARTY CONTROLS THE ARTS
Since the scope of the Reich Propaganda Ministry was so large and encompassing, much of the regulation and macrocosmic censorship took place under hierarchal party control, including even local and volunteer open air performances. The GAU KULTURE RING, coordinated the process of control, by asserting itself as head over virtually every group and entity which would in any way display art, decide standards, put on performances or exhibit work including local theatre groups,e ven volunteer and amateur, and even clear down to gardening clubs. 'Beautification' and environmental groups were also under the auspices of party control, for in this way a firm across the board infusion of Nazi doctrine and principle allowed the 'forming' of what the Reich would promote as a 'perfect' state. Freedom of expression was erased, even to the design of building, gardens, arts and music magazines and libraries and book clubs: one standard governed all.
This was accomplished according to the structure of the Gauleiter system [See Nazi Party Organization] with a fixed order of procedure.
The field of music provided one of the best views of how the Gleichschaltung of the Third Reich worked and
provided a chronology of steps to the 'overthrow' and overtaking of this broad area of German life. A common error
is held by some that the Nazis merely marched in and took over Opera Houses, Performance Halls, Musician groups and
so forth and while there were instances of this, the takeover was consistent and steady, and not always readily apparent.
While Musicians like others at the German Universities were displaced immediately if they were Jewish or Jewish sympathizers,
in 1933, other areas of Music gradually fell to the Nazis.
The Gleichschaltung of the Music Profession and Performance arena presents in microcosm very adequately the dynamics
of what happened on other levels of society. As early as 1933 and continuing to 1935, the musicians of Germany saw
a change in policies regarding performance and teaching, and the establishment of the Reichmusikkammer, establishing
who was allowed to perform and teach. The coordinated effort to dominate and control the Musical arts was several fold:
One of the central prongs in the 'Coordination' of Music was the establishment of the Reichmusikkammer, or Reich Music Chamber which coordinated performances and performance rights, and required German Citizenship and Registration to publicly perform or hold office in music-related endeavors. Since German Citizenship was based upon Aryan descent, Jews could not register, although this was not much of an issue because Jewish musicians knew that registry meant the Nazis could readily identify them and their families and easily locate and confiscate Jewish property. Without registry Jews could no longer perform in Orchestras and other ensembles, perform publicly, or earn their living from their art. Clandestinely, many Jewish countrymen would meet in private homes to hold performances.
The Nazis did not immediately replace non-party members with party members, nor did they automatically place less competent party members in the place of more talented non-party members. The reason for this was quite simple: Hitler and Goebbels, while wishing to control and dominate the field, did not wish the quality of German Music to suffer, although they did institute restrictions, as in Art, as to what pieces and types of music might be performed. While Party member who were musicians did often have an advantage, it was not an exclusive advantage if they were not qualified for their position. Certain Music Festivals such as ....., were however almost exclusively comprised of Nazi Party member musicians. The Nazis especially Hitler, Goebbels and such as Heydrich while controlling the Musical arts, and infusing standards and types on the field, did not wish Germany's national reputation for Music to suffer.x It would be seen however, that \ over time, in many fields, the overall quality of performance and skill level greatly declined, noticeably in the Arts, and documented in such fields as Medicine.
The Gleichschaltung in the Church during the Third Reich is rather a poor description of
what happened, for there was not a unified or singular Church, nor is it clear that there was
only one 'Gleichschaltung', i.e. from Germany, but many feel that a 'Coordination' was at work
also from the Vatican in Europe and the US, in Wall Street Business funding the Reich, and in
the traditional meaning of the Reich coordinating the influence and control throughout Germany,
including the Catholic and Protestant Churches. One of the main questions which arises for
scholars is whether concentrated coordinated efforts were purposeful from the beginning or developed
as other events developed. One can probably best say that all contain an element of truth because
in most business and political takeovers there is some degree of strategy and planning: however,
in the truest meaning of the concept of 'Gleichschaltung' the deliberate, purposeful and planned
overthrow of the headship of both Catholicism and Protestantism, was indeed in place, though rarely discussed
openly, and was often camoflaged by rhetoric which seemed to intimate the opposite.While studies are not yet complete or exhaustive, there did seem to be a pattern by which the Reich intended to control Church institutions:
1-noteIt is interesting to note that the appreciation historically for fine music came from the backgrounds of many higher level Nazis, for example, Heydrich's parents were both involved formally in the arts, and Heydrich and others were trained musicians.