What artistic endeavor did Hitler and Stalin pursue?

1 Answer
May 2, 2016

Both sought to pursue forms of art which reflected their respective ideologies.

Explanation:

In Nazi Germany all forms of art were subject to Nazi ideology. Central to this was the role of Goebbels in charge of propaganda. Many Germans within various forms of artistic expression; for example Fritz Lang the director of Metropolis left Germany as he was not prepared to accept Hitler's request for him to make films for the Nazis.

Probably the best known of the film makers was Leni Riefenstahl whose innovative use of cameras was revolutionary in films such as Triumph Of The Will and her documentary of the Berlin Olympics.

In areas such as sculpture and paintings art reflected a Germanic Aryan image celebrating Hitler, militarism and the superiority of the German race in marked contrast to other races for example Slavs and Jews.

Films were also used to project the racism and anti-semitism of Nazism, for example The Eternal Jew.

In the Soviet Union as with Nazi Germany, art was designed to reflect the supposed success of the Soviet system. A collective term used was Socialist Realism.

This phrase refers to any form of art where the imagery was a reflection of the success of Stalin's policies such as collectivisation of the peasants and the industrialisation of the Soviet economy. Of course no mention was made of disasters such as the famine in the Ukraine or the existence of the gulags. It is estimated that the death toll under Stalin was as great and quite possibly in excess of those of Hitler.

Sweeping historical films such as Battleship Potemkin by directors such as Eisenstein also emphasised the glory and sacrifice made by the proletariat in order to achieve the Russian Revolution.