Bytwerk Book Unbanned in China

Back in August 2012 I reported that my book Bending Spines: The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the German Democratic Republic had been banned on the Chinese mainland, although it remained available in Hong Kong.  A visitor to the blog tells me that the ban has been lifted and the book is now available. I'd appreciate reports from other Chinese readers.  His note follows:

“I just bought and read the Chinese translation of your book. I understand why the Chinese mainland government wants to ban the book, but now the book is available again. 

There are some interesting points in the book that reminds me of what the Chinese government has done in the past (specifically before and during the Cultural Revolution), but many statements don't apply any more. 

There is still a propaganda department in the Chinese Communist Party, but right now cultural diversity is at its peak since the founding of PRC (which is not really a achievement). The Internet has greatly changed the lives of the Chinese people. Though the government has a strict Internet censorship policy, the effect remain limited since there are so many people online. The great fire wall also banned many foreign sites, but we can still visit those banned sites using VPN or other methods, and Internet censorship will face a bigger challenge when IPv6 become more and more popular.”

 I’d appreciate reports from other Chinese readers.  

Digitized Nazi Propaganda Sources

I am sometimes asked to include the German originals on the site.  That would be a lot of extra work, and I am primarily aiming the site at those who cannot read German or at scholars who will be able to secure the original materials should they be needed.

However, increasing amounts of relevant material are appearing on-line.  The Austrians are digitizing long runs of newspapers.  Various Nazi periodicals are available. I often find books digitized.

To help people find such sources, I am beginning a new page that provides links to digitized Nazi propaganda material. I am including only scans from originals.  Places like archive.org have considerable material that has either been typed from the originals or scanned by OCR methods — and these are not always dependable.

I am sure there is a great deal more than I have listed — and more will keep coming.  I’ll welcome suggestions for additions.

Building Nazi Party Credibility in 1944

Recently I’ve been adding material from 1944, late in the war.  Today’s addition is an essay on the Nazi Party’s efforts to deal with the results of Allied bombing.  The party had less popularity than it wanted — articles like this were an effort to persuade people that the party was engaged in valuable work.

Building Faith in German Victory (1944)

Until Stalingrad, it was reasonable for the average German to believe in ultimate German victory.  Propaganda’s job was relatively easy.  After February 1943, the job was harder.  Today I am adding material from mid-1944 intended for use in Sprechabende, or evening discussion meetings.   These were organized primarily for members of the Nazi Party and were intended to boost their faith, but also to provide them with material they could use in talking with their fellow citizens.  The article is titled: “Now More than Ever: We Believe in Victory!”

It outlines the military, economic, political, and worldview arguments party members could use in talking with their fellow citizens.

Anti-Semitic Material for Girls (1944)

Although most Jews had already been killed by February 1944, the Nazi continued their anti-Semitic propaganda.  Today I am adding training material to be used in meetings with girls.  Although most  girls would have had no direct experience with Jews, they are told that Jews remain a deadly threat to Germany.

A 1927 Nazi Caricature: Killing Jews with Poison Gas

In Mein Kampf, Hitler writes that Germany would not have lost World War I if 12,000 - 15,000 “Hebrew corruptors of the people” had been killed with poison gas.

There were not a lot of such suggestions in Nazi propaganda before 1933 of killing Jews en masse, but Julius Streicher’s Der Stürmer did run occasional cartoons like this one that I am today adding to the page on pre-1933 cartoons from Der Stürmer.

A Nazi is pumping poison gas into a tunnel beneath an oak tree representing Germany. Dead Jewish rats are strewn about.  The caption: “When the vermin are dead, the German oak will flourish.”

2000 Years of German Culture (1937)

1937 was a big year for art in Munich.  The new Munich art gallery opened, at which annual displays of approved Nazi art were held until 1944.  And there was a festival titled “Two Thousand Years of German Culture.”

Today I add six color photographs of the event, taken from the party’s monthly art magazine, Die Kunst im Dritten Reich.