Anti-Intellectualism in Anti-Intellectualism in Nazi GermanyNazi Germany

By David S.By David S.

Horace Greeley High SchoolHorace Greeley High SchoolClass of 2007Class of 2007

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

What is Anti-Intellectualism?What is Anti-Intellectualism?

A sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits

Attacks merits of science, education, literature

Not just about hating intellectualism: also about what values fill its place

Locke on IntellectualismLocke 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 Anti-IntellectualismAnti-Intellectualism

A society where individual thought is compromised, and the preservation of truth is minimal

Authorities have more power• Cannot be challenged, because there is

no intellectual spirit of dissent

Consequences of Consequences of Anti-IntellectualismAnti-Intellectualism

Emergence of Pseudoscience• (i.e. Eugenics)

Rewriting of History Destruction of Literature

Nazi Anti-IntellectualismNazi Anti-Intellectualism

Knowledge that benefited state was allowed (i.e. rocket science)

Individual learning frowned upon• Independent thinking goes against

public opinion• Propaganda a new form of “education”

Repression of the truth in favor of that which stirs up radical emotion

CENTRAL QUESTIONCENTRAL QUESTION

Why was anti-intellectualism Why was anti-intellectualism such a critical element in such a critical element in

sustaining Nazi culture from sustaining Nazi culture from 1933-1945?1933-1945?

NAZI BOOK BURNINGSNAZI BOOK BURNINGS

Why Burn Books?Why Burn Books?

A way of venting anger• Symbolic transition of cultural values:

Intellectualism to radical emotionalism

Unifies community in a ritual Intimidates intellectual community

• Frightening to see an angry mob that has lost touch with your 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 target, but also many non-Jews as well

The Burning of the BooksThe Burning of the Books

Students marched through the streets rampaging libraries, synagogues, and even private homes to loot books

Books were thrown onto bonfire

““The Burning of the Books”The Burning of the Books”

Nazis encouraged burnings, but discouraged their publicity

Aftermath• Frightened many intellectuals, Jewish

and non-Jewish, into fleeing Germany

“Jewish intellectualism is dead”—Joseph Goebbels after the 1933 Book Burning

Some Authors of Books Burned Some Authors of Books Burned on 5/10/33on 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 whole

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

Strong desire to root out values of…• Liberal individualism• Rationalism• Intellectualism

A Complete 180° from the ideals of

Locke and the Enlightenment!

Reasons for this Reasons for this Education SystemEducation System

Trained children to be good soldiers• Easier to accept a total authority if you

don’t know how to think for yourself

Ultimate Goal• In Democracy: 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

The Hitler Youth (HJ)The Hitler Youth (HJ)

Clip From Clip From Triumph of the WillTriumph of the Will

Click image to see video on YouTube Notice direction of film

• Shows how admired Hitler is

• Promotes radical emotionalism

• Notice serious faces, militarism of young boys

Why was the HJ Necessary for Why was the HJ Necessary for Nazi Germany?Nazi Germany?

Hitler believed the future of Nazi Germany was in its children

Composed of a generation that knew almost only Nazism• No need to suppress individual thinking

if people are imprinted with anti-intellectual ideology at a young age

Why was the HJ Necessary for Why was the HJ Necessary for Nazi Germany?Nazi Germany?

Trained children for their roles as Nazi citizens

Men: “Wehrsport” (Military training)

Women: Preparation for Aryan motherhood

Hitler’s View of the HJHitler’s View of the HJ

“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 HJ toRelevance of the HJ toAnti-IntellectualismAnti-Intellectualism

The values of a culture result from the values instilled in its youth

• In America: pressure to do well in school, go to college, get a job, make $

• In Nazi Germany: Children were worth only what they contributed to the state

Social Atmosphere in anSocial Atmosphere in anAnti-Intellectual GermanyAnti-Intellectual Germany

Nazi PopulismNazi Populism

“Whoever can conquer the street will one day conquer the state...”–Joseph Goebbels

Struggle against “privileged elite”• Especially Jews

Intellectuals are elitists and tricksters• Hoodwink opponents with rhetoric

The VolksgemeinschaftThe Volksgemeinschaft

“The People’s Community”• Established collective national spirit• Based on racial and national pride

Subliminal influence on cultureBureaucratization of censorship &

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 The antithesis of intellectual-based

culture Rampant anti-Semitism Infected all mediums of art and

literature

Why have aWhy have aMinistry of Propaganda?Ministry 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 rampage Jewish buildings “The mob” trumps individualism Considered beginning of Holocaust

Joseph Goebbels:Joseph Goebbels:Head of the Anti-intellectual SerpentHead of the Anti-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: he was practically in love with him

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

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

What Anti-intellectualism DoesWhat Anti-intellectualism Does

A force that seeks to unify…• The mind of a nation• The will of a nation

Censorship of truth• Idea that truth is irrelevant is dangerous

Use of propaganda to orchestrate direction of public opinion

Is the Bush Administration Is the Bush Administration Somewhat Anti-Intellectual?Somewhat Anti-Intellectual?

Regent U. Law Grads• Ranked Tier 4 School, but

extremely conservative• 150 in Administration• Loyalty over intelligence

Firing of U.S. Attorneys• For political reasons• Not based on performance

Is the Bush Administration Is the Bush Administration Somewhat Anti-Intellectual?Somewhat Anti-Intellectual?

Propaganda?• Overuse of the word “freedom”• Overgeneralization of “terror”• Simplification of good vs. evil

Stirring up of radical emotions• 9/11 as a rallying point

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”—Karl Rove

The EndThe End(or is it?)(or is it?)