Weimar Culture -- A Brief but Brilliant Cultural Legend

Author: (USA) Guy
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: In the history of Western civilization, exile has always held a considerable place of honor. At the beginning of 1933, when the Nazi regime was in control of Germany, the exiled group driven out by Hitler can be said to be one of the rarest groups of intellectuals, talents, and scholars in the world. Among these dazzling exiles, the outstanding figures—Einstein, Thomas Mann, Kandinsky, Weber, Heidegger, Benjamin, Marcuse, Spengler, Liebermann, and others—compel us to view Weimar as a unique phenomenon. The culture it displayed was so unrestrained and so creative, truly a golden age. Indeed, the legend of Weimar began with the "Golden Twenties." The Weimar Republic was born in 1918 and died in 1933, though its time was brief, it has become a legend. Its painful and short life, unforgettable artistic achievements, and tragic death have left an indelible impression, shining brilliantly. Weimar is associated with modernization in art, literature, and thought, the rebellion of sons against fathers, the Dadaists' reaction against art, the Berliners' rejection of vulgar culture, and the free thinkers' disdain for conservative moralists. Though brief, it became a legend of the 20th century.