DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN STUDIES
GE217
FILM AND PROPAGANDA IN
THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC
AND THE THIRD REICH
2015-16
MODULE BOOKLET
Ian Roberts Module co-ordinator
Room H217 – Email I.G.Roberts@warwick.ac.uk
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CONTENTS
ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE
p.3
SKILLS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES
p.5
PROGRAMME OF LECTURES
p.6
SCREENINGS
p.7
SEMINAR SCHEDULE
p.8
ESSAY-WRITING GUIDELINES
p.9
MODULE BIBLIOGRAPHY
p.14
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ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURE
The module comprises three weekly sessions.

A film screening

A one-hour lecture

A seminar related to the week’s topic/material
LECTURES
Some will contain background information and aim to provide broader perspectives on
the period as a whole, whilst others will concentrate on textual analysis. You should engage in some background reading before attending the lectures (see list of
recommended reading at the end of this handout), the better to understand the material
under discussion.
SEMINARS
Depending on the numbers taking the module in a given year you may be divided into
groups for the seminar sessions (see the 2nd year notice board for details). Within those
groups you will normally operate for the first half in smaller consortia, discussing topics
which will be specified on individual seminar handouts. The remaining time will be a
plenary session, in which general discussions will take place, and conclusions reached.
You are expected to prepare your designated group topic each week in consultation with
the other members of your small group. Remember that independent research, critical
analysis of material and visual and oral presentation are key transferable career skills.
SCREENINGS
The films will be shown on a big screen, and you are expected to attend this session
wherever possible. There will be a brief introduction to each film, and some screening
notes which you should read in advance. During the screening you should make plenty
of notes (so bring pen & notepad with you!): these may well consist of plot details,
aspects of visual style and other factual elements, but could also relate to your subjective
response to scenes, characters etc. If you are unable to attend a particular session please
let me know IN ADVANCE and arrange to watch the film via the DVD copy available from
the Transnational Resources Centre.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance at all classes is required and you will be required to sign the attendance
sheet for each session. Unexplained and/or unreasonable absences will be followed up
by a request for explanation, and may be raised at student progress meetings. If absence
is unavoidable please email Ian Roberts as soon as you are able.
ASSESSMENT
Either One 3,000-word essay to be submitted on the Monday of Week 1 Term 3 @12.00
(titles to be provided before the end of term).
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Or One two-hour examination in Term 3. You will be expected to answer two questions.
SET TEXTS, CRITICAL AND SECONDARY LITERATURE
Suitable texts for specific topics are listed below. Your attention is also drawn to the
University website resource which contains on-line copies of approximately fifty
relevant articles on individual texts, topics and authors. Its address is:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/electronicresources/extracts/
You are expected to consult these when preparing for seminars and writing assessed
essays. You should note that the on-line selection provided above is limited to certain
publishers and you should NOT limit yourself to these sources when considering critical
literature on texts and topics. You should also consult the extensive, but not exhaustive,
bibliography in this booklet, as well as other sources as appropriate. Whilst it is not,
strictly speaking, compulsory to make use of secondary literature in both English and
German it is surely a skill which belongs to your chosen degree – as such you will be gain
credit for reading/quoting from German authors.
Finally, remember the words of Brecht’s Galileo: Das Denken gehört zu den größten
Vergnügen der menschlichen Rasse. Thinking is fun. It develops your critical skills. Your
ability to research topics, evaluate differing ideas and information is a key transferable
skill that will be crucial in your future career. Trying to grasp the complexities of one of
the most paradoxical periods of German history (creative and destructive, progressive
and reactionary zugleich), and the wide variety of culture it produced, is a real challenge.
Germany today is still profoundly affected by the legacies of the Weimar Republic and
National Socialism. We look forward to hearing your questions, ideas, and opinions! This
is your module. Enjoy it!
Ian Roberts
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SKILLS & OUTCOMES
This module aims to cultivate the following skills:
A.

Subject-specific skills/ knowledge & understanding (LRS Benchmark: 3.0)
A knowledge and critical understanding of the culture, history and politics of the
Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, especially concerning the medium of film in
these periods.
B.


Cognitive skills (LRS Benchmark 4.5.1)
The ability to analyse critically a range of materials
The ability to abstract and synthesise key information from written and audiovisual spoken sources
The ability to organise, present and defend ideas within the framework of a
structured and reasoned argument
The ability to formulate an argument with reference to established interpretations


C.






Professional skills (LRS Benchmarks 4.2, 4.5.2 and 4.5.3)
The ability to conduct independent research using library, bibliographic resources
and ICT skills
The ability to use critical methodologies in film in oral as well as written form in
both English and German
Command of written German language in a range of registers
Written communication skills
Oral communication skills
Working with others
Learning Outcomes.
By the end of this module you should be able to discuss the following in an informed
manner and at an appropriate intellectual level, both orally and in writing:
1. The place of the films you study in a society that between 1918 and 1945
underwent rapid transformation from monarchy through parliamentary
democracy to dictatorship.
2. The difference between left-wing and right-wing politics, between Marxism,
communism, fascism, liberalism and conservatism.
3. The extent to which culturally and politically the 1920s mark the beginning of
the modern age.
4. Different conceptions of democracy.
5. The complex relationship between the individual and the mass in the culture and
politics of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich.
6. Different methods of evaluating a work of art, and judging its quality, impact and
success.
7. The communicative differences between various forms of writing and film.
8. The relative merits of film as vehicles of ideas (ideology), propaganda media and
as media for the differentiated treatment of political and moral issues.
9. The characteristic features of different aesthetic forms, e.g. Expressionism,
realism, documentary styles etc.
10. The strengths and limitations of cultural products as mediators of social ideas
and practice compared to conventional historical, economic, philosophical and
political accounts.
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PROGRAMME OF LECTURES
These take place in H2.02 every Friday from 10.00 – 11.00 .
Week 1
German Cinema & Society 1918-1945: A Productive Symbiosis?
This lecture outlines various social and political developments at the end of WWI, with
the founding of the new Republic. It considers filmic developments in the context of
these events.
Week 2
Expressionism and Anxiety
Here we consider the chaos of 1919-1924 - armed insurrection, the Versailles Treaty,
hyperinflation etc - reflected in the use of Expressionism as a filmic medium.
Week 3
Cityscapes and Modernity
After 1924 the nation experienced something of a boom, such that the middle years of
the Republic are regarded as a ‘Golden Era’. Central to this was the lure of the city as a
locus of modernity.
Week 4
Gender and Power
The post-war years facilitated the liberation of the German woman, yet conservative
society rather regarded this development as a threat: film reflects both attitudes,
featuring both ‘virgin’ and ‘vamp’ characters to great effect.
Week 5
Ideology & Propaganda I: The End of Weimar Republicanism
In this lecture we will attempt to identify the key factors which contributed to the
collapse of the Republic after 1927, leading to the accession to power of the Nazis in
1933. We will examine the opposition film Kuhle Wampe in the light of these factors.
Week 6
READING WEEK – NO LECTURE
Week 7
Ideology & Propaganda II: The Rise of the Nazis
This week’s lecture will consider how the Nazis came to power – the mechanisms
whereby they duped the nation into supporting them, and the institutions which they
founded to tighten their control. It will also examine how the principles of Nazi ideology
were conveyed to early audiences in the cinema.
Week 8
Ideology & Propaganda III: Film as Propaganda
Minister for Propaganda Josef Goebbels quickly identified film as an ideal medium for
transmitting the Party’s ideology to the masses, recognising that entertainment was as
effective as the more direct approach seen in documentaries, as favoured by Hitler.
Week 9
Women in the III. Reich
This week we shall contrast the fortunes of women in the Reich with those we discussed
earlier in the module with regard to Weimar women, noting particularly how women
are represented on screen during the Nazi era.
Week 10
Resistance and Collapse
As the war dragged on to its inevitable and destructive conclusion the regime turned to
the so-called Durchhaltefilm to encourage all members of the Volk to fight to the bitter
end – but how effective were these movies in reality?
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SCREENINGS
These take place in S0.08 on Wednesdays from 2.00 p.m onwards. Attendance is
compulsory, and you are encouraged to view the film a second time wherever possible,
individually or in a small group, in which case a copy of the DVD/tape is available from
the Transnational Resources Centre.
It is vital that you approach these films as texts to be studied, just like any novel, play or
piece of poetry etc. Read the screening notes in advance of the screening of each film,
perhaps do some background reading beforehand, and bring a notebook and pen with
you so that you can make detailed noted about plot, techniques etc.
SCHEDULE
Week 1 – Robert Wiene Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari (1919)
Week 2 – Fritz Lang Metropolis (1927)
Week 3 – G. W. Pabst Die Büchse der Pandora (1929)
Week 4 – Bert Brecht & Slatan Dudow Kuhle Wampe (1932)
Week 5 – Hans Steinhoff Hitlerjunge Quex (1933)
Week 6 – READING WEEK – NO SCREENING
Week 7 – Leni Riefenstahl Triumph des Willens (1934)
Week 8 – Rolf Hansen Die große Liebe (1942)
Week 9 – Veit Harlan Kolberg (1944/45)
Week 10 – NO SCREENING
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SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Seminars take place this year straight after the lectures, on Thursdays at 11.00 a.m. in
H2.02. You will be subdivided into workgroups of 3-4 per group. Details of times and
group membership will be posted on the department notice board.
Week 1 - From Caligari to Hitler: (dis)continuities in the films of the Weimar Republic
and the Third Reich.
Week 2 - Expressionism and Anxiety: the articulation of inner trauma in Robert
Wiene’s Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari (1919).
Week 3 - Cityscapes & Modernity: How Modernism evinces fear and fascination in
equal measure, Fritz Lang Metropolis (1927).
Week 4 - Gender & Power: Virgin or Vamp? The depiction of the woman in G. W.
Pabst’s Die Büchse der Pandora (1929).
Week 5 - Ideology & Propaganda (I): Brecht/Dudow’s representation of class and
ideological struggle in Kuhle Wampe (1932).
Week 6 - READING WEEK
Week 7 - Ideology and Propaganda (II): Winning Hearts and Minds in Hitlerjunge
Quex (Hans Steinhoff, 1933) a Nazi “movement film”.
Week 8 - Ideology and Propaganda (III): Triumph des Willens (Leni Riefenstahl,
1934): documentary or propaganda film?
Week 9 - Popular Cinema (I): Women in the Third Reich - Zarah Leander in Die große
Liebe (Rolf Hansen, 1942).
Week 10 - Popular Cinema (II): Goebbels’ Durchhaltefilm and the III. Reich as an epic
tale – Veit Harlan’s Kolberg (1944/45).
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ESSAY-WRITING GUIDELINES
These should be read in conjunction with the separate Department document
‘Guidelines on Assessed Essays and Examinations’. Remember to read carefully and
follow the section there on plagiarism, and that the Department website has a useful
student-friendly interactive section on ‘What is plagiarism’? and how to avoid it. If you
follow closely the extensive guidance on essay writing and presentation provided below
there should be no reason why you should not get things right and enable the reader to
focus exclusively on the substance of your argument, rather than be sidetracked by
matters of form.
1.
Key words
Most assessed essay questions have key terms in the title (“crime”, “justice”,
“aggression”, “modernist/modernity”, “individual”, “party politics”, “political theatre”,
“propaganda”, etc.). These are not one-dimensional self-evident concepts. They are
chosen precisely because they allow for a variety of different readings. Your essay
should make clear which particular interpretation of those terms critics use, and which
you are using, as a basis for your analysis.
2.
“Compare and contrast” questions
These are usually best answered on a “point-by-point basis”, i.e. by devising an
analytical structure based on the key issues implied in the question. This enables you to
construct an argument, and makes repetition less likely.
3.
“Representation” and “portrayal” questions
Remember that these words require you to analyse how an issue is addressed in a text,
i.e. to show how, for instance, form, genre, narrative perspective, language, imagery,
stage directions, camera work, editing, mise-en-scene etc. affect the way we as reader
bzw. viewer perceive the issues raised by the text.
4.
Plot telling versus analysis
Assume the reader knows the texts as well as you do. Don’t tell us what happens, but
why, and what it means in relation to the question you’re answering.
5.
Using secondary literature
Use critics constructively, i.e. as a stimulus, rather than a substitute, for your own
argument. It’s much more impressive if you can take issue with a critic’s published
views, rather than simply agree with them. Even the published views of the people who
teach you are not ipso facto gospel!
Be very careful how you use critical literature published on the internet. Remember that
a good deal of stuff there is not necessarily reliable, as it’s not been refereed, i.e. hasn’t
been subjected to the usual critical scrutiny by other experts in the field before being
published.
Remember also that absence of a wide range of secondary literature should not deter
you from writing on a topic. Determined students are equally capable of forming and
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articulating their own judgements! An essay topic is your opportunity to offer your
interpretation of texts and topics, and the best interpretations are based on sound
knowledge of critical literature and of the primary texts.
6.
Proof reading
Make sure you re-read your final version to eliminate typos and ambiguities. If you’re
fed up with re-reading for the umpteenth time, offer a friend a glass of wine, a pint or
Kaffee und Kuchen to do it for you. They will often pick up on things you’re too tired to
notice.
7.
Acknowledging sources
 You must follow the conventions for source accreditation spelt out in the
Department’s Guidelines on Assessed Essays
 Don’t give editors credit for essays they edited but didn’t write! So when quoting
from an essay in a volume of collected essays written by different authors, make
sure you give details of the actual essay you’re quoting from, and not just details of
the volume itself.
8.
Primary Texts (films or scripts) must be quoted in German
Reading/viewing films in English or with English subtitles is fine, indeed it can be a
useful backup, but should not be a substitute for appreciating the original language.
There may be a few instances when film dialogue is difficult to quote in German, but
generally the original is preferable, especially when the original’s nuances are significant
(e.g. ‘ausrotten’ in M).
9.
Structure
An essay should develop an argument, make a case and have clear links between each
paragraph.
 Sub-headings making the structure explicit are not ruled out, but should not
normally be necessary. If you must include them, your argument should still flow as
if the sub-headings were not there.
 Paragraphing: Remember that a new (i.e. different) point requires a new paragraph.
A paragraph is a discussion of a distinct intact point of analysis, and normally
consists of more than one or two sentences.
10.
Citing Quotations in German
When included in your English narrative these must make syntactic sense, i.e. you might
find it necessary to change the position of the German verb. In its new position it should
be enclosed with […] to indicate your change to the original.
E.g.: ‘Like many Angestellte P. is now part-robot and ‘[ist] seiner Arbeit völlig
entfremdet’
Inserting a square bracket around the re-positioned word indicates that the change to
the original is yours, not the original author’s. With punctuation the same principle
applies. The punctuation of your sentence takes precedence over that in the quotation
when the latter is absorbed or integrated into your sentence.
11.
Historical Content
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This must be made relevant. It should not be used merely as a general introduction.
This applies also to adapted lecture notes. There’s no point in giving an account of the
constitutional position of women in the Weimar Republic if it’s not made explicitly and
specifically relevant to the texts under discussion.
12.
Use of English
Remember the following:
 A proper sentence must contain a main clause, which in turn must have a subject
and a main finite verb. “This is what he does” is a sentence. “Which is what he
does” is not a sentence, it’s a relative clause. It doesn’t mean anything on its own.
 Avoid ‘I’ phrases like: ‘I firmly believe that …, ‘It is my opinion that …’ ‘I feel
that…’. The whole essay is your interpretation of the question anyway. Try
crossing out such phrases and see if it makes any difference to your meaning!
 Avoid redundant English, e.g.:
a) ‘Lulu… can be seen as presenting the most positive portrayal…’ BETTER: ‘Lulu
presents...’
b) ‘Maria is portrayed as being an object of male desire.’ BETTER: ‘M. is portrayed as’
c) ‘This film highlights the discrepancy which exists between humanitarian ideals and
the reality of revolution’. DELETE ‘which exists’.
Reading a quality broadsheet newspaper, including the leading article and review pages,
will show you how to write concisely and to the point.
13.
Prose Style
Try to achieve variety in your writing, and to avoid repeating features that produce
uniformity. For instance:
 Avoid clichés (e.g. ‘literally’) and the bl-----ing obvious.
 Vary the length of sentences
 Don’t just use sentences consisting only of a main clause.
 Don’t simply string together a series of main clauses as one sentence (‘run-on
sentences’)
 Avoid repetition of particular words or phrases within a sentence or in
consecutive sentences (key terms excepted). If necessary consult a Thesaurus.
 Avoid prevarication: ‘It could be argued that…’, ‘This might be seen as…’
Use the Grammar Checker facility on word processing programmes. It can help improve
grammar and style as well as spelling. But remember that spell-checkers often can’t tell
the difference between principal, principle, dependent and dependant, practise and
practice etc. but dictionaries can.
ADDITIONAL TIPS ON ESSAY WRITING
The following points have arisen from the marking essays in previous years. You are
strongly advised to take note of them and to make sure you follow the advice given.
A. PROSE-STYLE/GRAMMAR/LEXIS/PUNCTUATION
1. Avoid hyperbole - e.g. Triumph des Willens is ‘incredibly effective’/ ‘a masterpiece’/
‘the most brilliant piece of propaganda in the history of the cinema’. Avoid any waffle,
e.g.: ‘without a shadow of doubt Metropolis & M are rightly seen by many as almost
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certainly being truly Lang’s finest achievements, although many are not necessarily of
this opinion’.
2. Avoid the ‘hanging/suspended gerund’ - e.g. ‘By examining the use of shots from
below in Triumph des Willens the impact of camera angles will become apparent.’ - This
sentence is ungrammatical because ‘the impact’ is not doing the ‘by examining’, you are
bzw. the essay is, i.e. the subject of the main clause is the implicit subject of the gerund
‘examining’.
3. Avoid constructions that are, grammatically, not a sentence - e.g. ‘Whereas
Riefenstahl has edited her material in a manner that clearly indicates her partisanship
for Hitler.’ This ‘sentence’ lacks a main clause and a main verb and consists only of a
subordinate clause.
4. Avoid using ‘however’ as a conjunction, i.e. as a replacement for ‘but’ e.g.: ‘Riefenstahl claims that her film merely documents what took place at Nuremberg
however it has subsequently been established that some scenes were reshot in Berlin.’
Use ‘but’ here and note the correct punctuation if you do use ‘however’.
Either: ‘Riefenstahl claims that her film merely documents what took place at
Nuremberg; however, it has subsequently been established that some scenes were
reshot in Berlin.’
Or: ‘Riefenstahl claims that her film merely documents what took place at Nuremberg.
However, it has subsequently been established that some scenes were reshot in Berlin.’
N.B. ‘It is the case, however, that some scenes were reshot in Berlin.’
5. Punctuation:
 Note the difference between a defining relative clause, which is not commaed
off, and a defining relative clause, which is commaed off –. e.g. ‘The
departmental open day which took place on 12 March was a great success.’ (is
a defining relative clause: there were numerous open days but only the one on 12
March was a success). cf. ‘The departmental open day, which took place on 12
March, was a great success.’ (is a non-defining relative clause: there was only
one open day and, coincidentally, it took place on 12 March)
 When incorporating quotations into your sentence the whole sentence must be
grammatical (and that goes for German quotations too). Moreover, if you
preface a quotation with your phrase, you should do so with a colon (not a
comma or semi-colon) –
 e.g. ‘Bloggs describes Riefenstahl’s film as follows: “It is one of the most
stunning propaganda films in the history of the cinema.” [N.B. This doesn’t
contradict (1) above because the hyperbole is Bloggs’, not yours and, unlike
you, Bloggs as a world authority on propaganda films is entitled to make such a
judgment.]
B. REFERENCING
1. Don’t waste words in the main text of your essay by giving unnecessary
bibliographical details of a critical source you’re about to quote, e.g.: ‘as Tom Gunning
says in his book The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Modernity and Vision (BFI, London
2004)’: ‘ …’. That information belongs in the foot/endnote. The surname will suffice for
the main body of the text.
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2. In the footnotes you must give all the publication details of a book/chapter/article (as
in the bibliography). In subsequent references ‘author’s surname, [short] title, page
number’ will suffice.
3. You do not need to give the publisher, but if you do for one work you must do so for all
works. By contrast, the place of publication (and that means the place not the country or
county) is mandatory.
4. Similarly, if you choose to give an initial for the author’s first name you must do so
throughout and for all authors and not switch between names and initials.
5. p = page; pp. = pages as in p.15 and pp.15-24
6. If at all unsure about the appropriateness of a particular word LOOK IT UP in a
dictionary
7. Proof reading. Make sure you both spell-check, grammar–check and proof-read the
essay, preferably not immediately it’s finished, but later, when have gained some
distance from your essay. That way misspellings, missed words and repetitions will be
avoided.
C. OTHER ISSUES
1. Get basic historical dates/facts correct! – e.g. ‘Kuhle Wampe was released in 1931/32
when the Nazis came to power and invaded Poland at the beginning of WW2…’ The
Nazis came to power in 1933 (NOT 1932); Kuhle Wampe was made in 1931/2 and
released in 1932 – NOT in the Third Reich, and well before the invasion of Poland in
1939.
2. Beware of over-reliance on critical literature.
 Don’t for example use a lengthy quotation simply to summarise a plot
development.
 Don’t use a quotation from a critical source as a substitute for your own analysis.
For example Richard Dyer’s assertion that “Mädchen in Uniform [deals] with
homosexuality centrally, unambiguously and positively” is not indisputably and
incontrovertibly true. It’s an interpretation, albeit an informed one. Your task is
to support or challenge that reading of the film by means of textual analysis
3. Introductions & conclusions. Avoid general introductions that simply tell us something
about the period or even something or other about the topic. The introduction must
engage the reader. This could include, by means of a statement of intent, your ‘take’ on
the topic, a definition of the key terms that demonstrate your awareness of the
complexity of the issues being addressed, or providing appropriate historical
information. But above all it must be relevant to the topic.
In the final section you should aim to summarise your conclusions.
QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED BY STUDENTS
(ANSWERS IN UPPER CASE.)
1) How do I acknowledge books that were printed in two separate locations in the
bibliography/footnotes? JUST REFERENCE THE EDITION YOU CONSULTED
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2) If the quotation I’m using uses American spelling, do I keep that spelling or change it
to British spelling? LEAVE IT AS IT IS IN THE SOURCE YOU CONSULTED
3) What if the person I’m quoting from is in turn quoting from someone else? In my
footnote do I put the person I’m quoting from or the person who originally made the
statement? FRED BLOGGS, AS QUOTED BY JOHN SMITH IN: THE ART OF PINCHING
OTHER PEOPLE'S IDEAS, ETC.: P.42
4) How do I incorporate a translator into my footnotes/bibliography? ADD, AFTER
USUAL DETAILS OF AUTHOR, TITLE, PLACE: Transl. John Smith, p.42
5) How do I acknowledge a quotation taken from a newspaper in my
footnotes/bibliography? FRED BLOGGS, "ARTICLE TITLE", DIE ZEIT, 42, 1996, P.23
6) If we’re quoting in German, do we use the German method of using quotation marks
or keep the English way? DO THE LATTER, ALTHOUGH SOME W/P PROGRAMMES
AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST.
SL/ JJ / IR this version 18 Dec 2015
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MODULE BIBLIOGRAPHY
This is intended to provide an introductory guide to further reading, both of a general
and a specific nature. The library catalogue and Richard Parker’s on-line bibliography,
available via the department homepage, offers a comprehensive source of relevant
publications.
There is also a University website containing digitalised on-line copies of a wide range of
relevant articles on individual texts, topics and authors. Its address:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/electronicresources/extracts/
General reference: dictionaries of literary concepts and film studies
NB: Far better to consult these reference works when you are confused by terminology
than Wikipedia! However, they should not substitute for broader secondary reading
around particular topics!
M.H. Abrams A Glossary of Literary Terms.
Alan Bullock, ed. The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought
J.A.Cuddon A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
Susan Hayward Cinema Studies: the key concepts
Maggie Humm The Dictionary of Feminist Theory
Roberta E. Pearson & Philip Simpson, eds. A Critical Dictionary of Film and Television
Theory
Introductions to Weimar Culture & the Rise of the Nazis
- Peter Gay Weimar Culture. The Outsider as Insider
- Jost Hermand, Frank Trommler Die Kultur der Weimarer Republik
- Walter Laqueur Weimar: a Cultural History. Critical survey of 1920s high culture
- Stephan Reinhardt Lesebuch Weimarer Republik (Fascinating documentation of
responses by intellectuals to political developments in the Weimar Republic. Contains much
useful historical information.)
- Fritz Stern The Politics of Cultural Despair (An analysis of ‘völkisch’ thought & the origins
of Nazi ideology. Seminal work)
- J. P. Stern Hitler. The Führer and the People (An analysis of Hitler’s appeal through his
writings & speeches)
- John Willett The New Sobriety. Art and Politics in the Weimar Period 1917-1933 An
introduction.( Includes many excellent photographs.)
Historical surveys. The first four are the best!
- Detlev Peukert The Weimar Republic (Excellent analysis. Interprets the Weimar Republic
as the beginning of classical modernity)
- Paul Bookbinder Weimar Germany. The Republic of the Reasonable. Manchester, 1996.
(Thematically structured, accessibly written account of the politics, economy and culture of
the Weimar Republic)
- Ian Kershaw (ed.) Why Did Weimar Democracy Fail? (Balanced political analysis)
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- Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich. A New History. (A recent study; a detailed, often
trenchant, but perceptive work; Chapter One summarises all the key features of Weimar
Germany; National Socialism is interpreted as a form of surrogate religion.)
- Gordon Craig Germany 1866-1945 (esp. chapters XIII-XVIII) (Interesting, if contentious,
esp. in Chapter XIII, which is heavily critical of the utopian attitudes of Weimar
intellectuals and their alleged refusal to support the republic.)
- Richard Grunberger A Social History of the Third Reich (Very readable, esp. chapter 22
on humour.)
- Peter Sloterdijk Kritik der zynischen Vernunft Chapter IV, Vol. 2. (Provocative,
sometimes highly abstract, but always stimulating analysis of Weimar culture).
- Claudia Koonz Mothers in the Fatherland( On women in Weimar & the Third Reich)
- Renate Bridenthal (ed.) When Biology became Destiny (On women in the Weimar
Republic and (mainly) in the Third Reich)
On Film in the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich
- Calhoon, Kenneth S. (ed.) (2001) Peripheral Visions: The Hidden Stages of Weimar
Cinema. Detroit: Wayne State UP.
- Coates, Paul (1991) The Gorgon’s Gaze: German Cinema, Expressionism, and the Legacy
of Horror. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
- Cooke, Paul (2002) German Expressionist Films. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials.
- Eisner, Lotte (1969) The Haunted Screen: Expressionism in the German Cinema and the
Influence of Max Reinhardt, London: Thames & Hudson. (Along with Kracauer, Eisner is
still regarded as one of the founding giants of the field. Stilll a very useful work).
- Elsaesser, Thomas (1997) ‘Germany: The Weimar Years’ in: Geoffrey Nowell-Smith
(ed.) The Oxford History of World Cinema. Oxford: OUP, pp. 136-150.
- Elsaesser, Thomas (2000a) Weimar Cinema and After: Germany’s Historical Imaginary.
London and New York, Routledge.
- Klaus Kanzog, Diskurs Film. Münchener Beiträge zur Filmphilologie. Einführung in die
Filmanalyse (Good on Lang in particular)
- Anton Kaes “The Cold Gaze: Notes on Mobilization and Modernity”, New German
Critique, vol. 20 (no. 59) 1993
- Hake, Sabine (2002) German National Cinema. London: Routledge. Chapter 2 ‘Weimar
Cinema 1919-1933’.
- Kaes, Anton (1993) ‘Film in der Weimarer Republik: Motor der Moderne’, In: Jacobsen,
Wolfgang et al. (eds) Die Geschichte des deutschen Films. Stuttgart: Metzler, 39-100.
- Kaes, Anton (2004) ‘Weimar Cinema: The Predicament of Modernity’ In: Ezra,
Elizabeth (ed.) (2004) European Cinema. Oxford: OUP, 59-77.
- Kracauer, Siegfried (1947) From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the
German Film. Princeton, NJ: Priceton UP. (The first, and seminal, analysis of Weimar
cinema in the light of the Nazis’ rise. No longer considered the definitive study it once was,
but still a fascinating and perceptive volume).
- Kreimeier, Klaus (1999) The Ufa-Story: A History of Germany’s Greatest Film Company
1918-1945. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press.
- McCormick, Richard & Guenther-Pal, Alison (eds) (2004) German Essays on Film. New
York: Continuum.
- Julian Petley, ‘Film Policy in the Third Reich’ in The German Cinema Boo, ed. by Tim
Bergfelder, Erica Carter & Deniz Göktürk . London: bfi publishing, 2002), pp. 173-81.
- Julian Petley, Culture and Capital (on film and the cinema in the Third Reich)
- Roberts, Ian (2008) German Expressionist Cinema: Worlds of Light and Shadow. London:
Wallflower.
- David Welch Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945 (History & organisation of
Nazi cinema + analyses of Hitlerjunge Quex,Triumph & Kolberg)
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