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Title details for After the Nazis by Michael H. Kater - Available

After the Nazis

The Story of Culture in West Germany

by Michael H. Kater
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A wide-ranging, insightful history of culture in West Germanyâfrom literature, film, and music to theater and the visual arts
 
After World War II a mood of despair and impotence pervaded the arts in West Germany. The culture and institutions of the Third Reich were abruptly dismissed, yet there was no immediate return to the Weimar periodâs progressive ideals. In this moment of cultural stasis, how could West Germanyâs artists free themselves from their experiences of Nazism?
 
Moving from 1945 to reunification, Michael H. Kater explores West German culture as it emerged from the darkness of the Third Reich. Examining periods of denial and complacency as well as attempts to reckon with the past, he shows how all postwar culture was touched by the vestiges of National Socialism.
 
From the literature of Günter Grass to the happenings of Joseph Beuys and Karlheinz Stockhausenâs innovations in electronic music, Kater shows how it was only through the reinvigoration of the cultural scene that West Germany could contend with its pastâand eventually allow democracy to reemerge.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 22, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780300275032

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780300275032
      • File size: 13544 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 15, 2023

      Beginning in 1933, the Nazis dominated Germany in every aspect of society. After their defeat in 1945, West Germany had to reckon with that dominance. Kater (emeritus, history, York Univ., Toronto; Culture in Nazi Germany) successfully argues that West Germany's development and denazification was due to an intentional effort linking politics and culture. That begins with the Allies setting up new cultural producers in arts and entertainment and attempting to oust Nazi hardliners, followed by decades of governmental and artistic efforts to negotiate the past and advance democracy. Kater's bookprovides excellent political and economic context, decade by decade, alongside personal vignettes and reflections (he grew up in West Germany in the 1950s) that offer insight. Yet the book's title could be considered misleading; even today, the Nazis have so thoroughly permeated German culture that the battle over their legacy continues, with conservatives either downplaying their crimes or focusing on so-called "positive history" by eliding their existence, while progressives demand full accounting, reconciliation, and reparations. VERDICT Kater's book will appeal to social-history readers and to those interested in how societies grapple with historical atrocities.--Evan M. Anderson

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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