Fascism and Theatre: Comparative Studies on the Aesthetics and Politics of Performance in Europe, 1925-1945

Published by Berghahn Books 1996

Fascism and Theatre

Comparative Studies on the Aesthetics and Politics of Performance in Europe, 1925-1945

Edited by: Günter Berghaus

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781785330476

Overview
Contents

About this book

Since the 1920s, an endless flow of studies has analyzed the political systems of fascism, theseizure of power, the nature of the regimes, the atrocities committed, and, finally, the wars waged against other countries. However, much less attention has been paid to the strategies of persuasion employed by the regimes to win over the masses for their cause. Among these, fascist propaganda has traditionally been seen as the key means of influencing public opinion. Only recently has the "fascination with Fascism" become a topic of enquiry that has also formed the guiding interest of this volume: it offers, for the first time, a comparative analysis of the forms and functions of theater in countries governed by fascist or para-fascist regimes. By examining a wide spectrum of theatrical manifestations in a number of States with a varying degree of fascistization, these studies establish some of the similarities and differences between the theatrical cultures of several cultures in the interwar period.

Author / Editor information

Günter Berghaus received his Ph.D. in Theatre Studies and his Habilitation from the Free University of Berlin, he taught at the University of London and now holds a Readership in Theatre History and Performance Studies at the University of Bristol.

Reviews

"... [an] important and well-compiled collection ... Berghaus' superb introductory piece reminds us how severely distorted the lens through which we regard these troubling two decades has become ... [he] seeks ... to enlist the relatively new discipline of 'theatre anthropology' [and] the results are most impressive." · German Studies Review

"... an important addition to the literature ... a fascinating, authoritative and highly informative collection of essays which will prove invaluable both to the specialist and the student reader." · Theatre Research International

"... represents a fresh perspective on fascist theatre history ... a valuable source book on the politics ... achieves a searching comparative perspective on the phenomenon of Fascist aesthetics and theatrics ... and will be useful both to all students of Fascism and ... students of the performing arts." · The International History Review

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Introduction Günter Berghaus Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Staging the Nation’s Rebirth The Politics and Aesthetics of Performance in the Context of Fascist Studies Roger Griffin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
2. The Cultural Politics of Fascist Governments Reinhard Kühnl Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	30
3. The Ritual Core of Fascist Theatre An Anthropological Perspective Günter Berghaus Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	39
4. The Theatre of Politics in Fascist Italy Emilio Gentile Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	72
5. The Organisation, Fascistisation and Management of Theatre in Italy, 1925-1943 Doug Thompson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	94
6. Theatre Politics of the Mussolini Régime and Their Influence on Fascist Drama Pietro Cavallo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
7. Mussolini’s ‘Theatre of the Masses’ Mario Verdone Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	133
8. Censorship in Nazi Germany The Influence of the Reich’s Ministry of Propaganda on German Theatre and Drama, 1933-1945 Barbara Panse Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	140
9. The Municipal Theatre in Frankfurt-on-the-Main A Provincial Theatre under National Socialism Bettina Schültke Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
10. The Orchestration of the National Community The Nuremberg Party Rallies of the NSDAP Hans-Ulrich Thamer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	172
11. The Theatre Aesthetics of the Falange Sultana Wahnón Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
12. Theatre and Falangism at the Beginning of the Franco Régime Francisco Linares Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	210
13. Competing Together in Fascist Europe Sport in Early Francoism John London Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
14. Jacques Copeau and ‘Popular Theatre’ in Vichy France Serge Added Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
15. Towards an Aesthetic of Fascist Opera Erik Levi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	260
Bibliography Günter Berghaus Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	277
Illustrations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299
Notes on Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	304
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	307

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 304
Keywords: Performance Studies; History: World War II; Literary Studies

eBook

Published: May 1, 1996
ISBN: 9781785330476