Reichskulturkammer

The Reich Chamber of Culture ( RKK ) was at the instigation of the Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels by the approved by the Reich government Reich Chamber of Culture Law ( RGBl. I, p 661 ) An institution founded and an instrument of Nazi cultural policy for coordination of all areas of cultural life and to control the social and economic needs of the cultural sector. The Reich Chamber of Culture had its headquarters in Berlin. While the administration was housed together with the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda ín 8/9, the remaining chambers and associations distributed over many official offices throughout the city.

Foundation

The RCC was not founded on September 22, 1933 as the implementation of a long -term plan for control of the German artistic community. Rather, Goebbels created, a professional umbrella organization with compulsory membership for all persons working Germans as a means of mitigating the control requirements of the run by Robert Ley German Labor Front ( DAF). This was keen in the summer of 1933 to extend the compulsory membership of the DAF on the artists. The RCC was a way to escape the threatened loss of cultural policy competences for Joseph Goebbels.

Tasks

The main objective of the Reich Chamber of Culture was the state organization and supervision or control of the culture. Accordingly served the Reich Chamber of Culture of the Gleichschaltung of culture to control all areas of society. Who arts and in the broadest sense was the cultural sector, had to belong to the relevant competent for him single chamber. Who could provide no proof of Aryan descent, was not recorded or, if he already belonged to a chamber, excluded again. This was a prohibition equal, the Jewish primarily in the cultural sector, but also those artists concerned that produced from the perspective of the Nazi regime "Degenerate Art" and were described by Goebbels contemptuously as " Kulturbolschewisten ".

1936 Modern art was banned and many art works were removed from museums. Several works of art were 1937 " Degenerate Art Exhibition" in Munich shown in and then partially destroyed or sold abroad. On July 18, 1937 in Munich opened the House of German Art to bring the people of the " German Art " closer. Good art in the sense of the Nazis was defined as "healthy" and " species level ". Blood and soil, abbreviated Blubo, was a target of National Socialism.

Development and management

The Chair took Goebbels himself as president. The Reich Chamber of Culture was subdivided into seven individual chambers:

  • Reich Chamber (President since 1933: Hans Friedrich Blunck, since 1935: Hanns Johst )
  • Reich Film Chamber (President: Fritz Scheuermann, from 1935 Oswald Lehnich, starting in 1939, Carl Froelich )
  • Reich Chamber of Music ( president until 1935: the composer Richard Strauss, later: Peter Raabe )
  • Ministry of Arts ( Chairman until 1935: Otto leaves Inger, from 1935 Rainer Schlosser, from 1938 Ludwig grains from 1942 Paul Hartmann)
  • Reich Press Chamber (President: Max Amann )
  • Empire Radio Chamber (President: Horst Dressler - Andreß; single chamber was dissolved in 1939 )
  • Reich Chamber of Fine Arts (President since 1933: Eugen Honig, 1936: Adolf Ziegler )

Vice President of the Reich Chamber of Culture were Walther Funk, Leopold Gutterer, Karl Hanke and Werner Naumann. They're also the particularly close ties with the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda recognizable because all the Vice-Presidents of the RCC were at the same time Secretaries of RMVP.

As Managing Director of RKK acted among others Hans Schmidt -Leonhardt, Franz Moraller and Hans Hinkel. The latter was appointed by Goebbels with the special order for " dejudification of German cultural life ."

Reich Culture Senate

Hinkel announced on 15 November 1935, the establishment of a Reich Culture Senate with people who had made ​​an outstanding contribution to the cultural life. In fact, this Senate had only representative properties. Members were all Presidents of Chambers, the respective Präsidialräte, Vice-Presidents and the three executives of Reich Chamber of Culture, which bore the title " Walter Reich culture ". Means provided by Goebbels on 5 April 1938 ( Federal Archives Az IB 1000), the Walter Reich culture were abolished.

Archives and records

Archival of the Reich Chamber of Culture today is primarily managed by the Federal Archives (stock R 56 ). The personal files are located in the Berlin Document Center. The files of the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts - Landesleitung Berlin are located in the National Archives in Berlin (A Rep. 243-04 ).

Contemporary publications

  • Hans Hinkel: Manual of the Reich Chamber of Culture. Berlin: German publisher for Politics and Economics, 1937.
  • Hans Schmidt -Leonhardt: The Reich Chamber of Culture. Berlin / Vienna 1936.
  • Karl -Friedrich Schrieber et al ( eds.): The right of the Reich Chamber of Culture. Collection of applicable to the state of civilization laws and regulations, the official assemblies and announcements from the Reich Chamber of Culture and its individual chambers. 2 vols. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co., 1943.
Aryan certificate Haus der Kunst Reichsfilmkammer Reichsmusikkammer Paul Hartmann (actor) Peter Longerich Alan E. Steinweis Joseph Wulf Deutsches Historisches Museum
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