A Dramatic Reinvention: German Television and Moral Renewal after National Socialism, 1956–1970

Stewart Anderson

Published by Berghahn Books 2020

A Dramatic Reinvention

German Television and Moral Renewal after National Socialism, 1956–1970

Stewart Anderson

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781789206456

Overview
Contents

About this book

Following World War II, Germany was faced not only with the practical tasks of reconstruction and denazification, but also with the longer-term mission of morally “re-civilizing” its citizens—a goal that persisted through the nation’s 1949 split. One of the most important mediums for effecting reeducation was television, whose strengths were particularly evident in the thousands of television plays that were broadcast in both Germanys in the 1950s and 1960s. This book shows how TV dramas transcended state boundaries and—notwithstanding the ideological differences between East and West—addressed shared issues and themes, helping to ease viewers into confronting uncomfortable moral topics.

Author / Editor information

Stewart Anderson is an Assistant Professor at Brigham Young University and holds a doctorate from SUNY Binghamton. He is the co-editor of Modernization, Nation-Building, and Television History (Routledge 2014).

Reviews

“Stewart Anderson paints an evidence-based, richly textured, eminently readable account of the post-fascist establishment of television in Germany… It is welcome for its addition to a still meager body of scholarship on German television in English, and it provides a solid historical basis for further investigations and scholarly engagement with television’s critical contribution to national identity formation.” • The German Quarterly

“Stewart Anderson has made a very substantial contribution to the comparative study of German culture of the 1950s and 1960s by providing a map of cultural values and discursive positions in television narratives, which were both shared and contested in the postwar struggle for cultural and political legitimacy…Anderson points to gaps to be filled in future research on the history of televisual fictional narratives, which should attain the same level of quality as this study.” • Central European History

“What deserves highlighting is that the author casts the German-German commonalities of the medialization of values and norms during Cold War in a new light. He thus provides insights that are important for the moral and media history of the divided country. This is why it is to be hoped that this book will stimulate further research on this topic.” • H-Soz-Kult

“A valuable contribution to the cultural and media history of both Germanies in the first decades after the war, weighted more to the sociological than the aesthetic or media-theoretical side.” • German Studies Review

“This engagingly written book presents an original take on the familiar topic of postwar Germany’s ‘coming to terms with the past,’ with a strong emphasis on television as a significant agent of change” • Paul Moore, University of Leicester

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1 Navigating History: Historical Consciousness, International Cooperation, and Redemption Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
Chapter 2 Crafting Political Role Models: The Righteous Fugitive and the Man (or Woman) of Conscience Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
Chapter 3 Managing Prosperity: Moderation, Empathy, and Christianity Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
Chapter 4 Resetting Gender Roles: Women’s Equality, Reinvented Masculinity, and the Nuclear Family Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	122
Chapter 5 Embracing Diversity Racial Tolerance and Integration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	188
Appendix 1 Television Programs Referenced Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
Appendix 2 West German Television Stations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	194
Appendix 3 Television Licenses/Subscriptions, 1958–1970 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	197
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 224
Keywords: History: 20th Century to Present; Film and Television Studies; Media Studies

eBook

Published: April 9, 2020
ISBN: 9781789206456