Mass Media, Culture and Society in Twentieth-Century Germany by Karl Christian Fhrer; Corey Ross Review by: Dominik

Geppert Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul., 2009), pp. 542-544 Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40543051 . Accessed: 13/03/2014 23:56
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of Contemporary Vol 44 No 3 Journal History

Fhrer and Corey Ross (eds),Mass Media,Culture and Society KarlChristian in Twentieth Macmillan, 2006; 254 -Century Germany, Basingstoke: Palgrave pp; $85.00 hbk;ISBN: 9780230008380 different of specific social groups. partsof thepublicor as representations force which follows itsownpatterns of Todaythey appearas an independent trueforthetwentieth whenthemedia behaviour. Thisis especially century, a massphenomenon and whentraditional societies weretransformed became inwhich into media societies media useemerged as the dominant leisure activity. media has So far, as the editors ofthis volume out, however, point history rightly oftechnology, strucall too often beenconfined to theanalysis organizational contents ofthemedia.The attempt to analyse howmodern tures or aesthetic as tabloids, television orrecordings havefitted into massmedia such film, radio, and much is therefore welcome wider socialandcultural highly developments choiceof twentieth-century as the needed.Moreover, theeditors' Germany role is a shrewd one because of the of country's unique as a object investigation of of that has witnessed all three the dominant political 'laboratory modernity fascism andcommunism' oftheage:liberal (4). democracy, systems to the volume some of the mostfascinating contributions Accordingly, One wayto media across different German political regimes. history explore invessuch as Ross's this is vialong-term achieve Corey chronological surveys, Third or music from the to the of the rise of recorded Reich, Empire tigation wars fiction of culture account Patrick againstpulp Major's Germany's andthe1970s.There arealsocomparative between thelatenineteenth century oftwoGerman on the such as Thomas studies, making Lindenberger's essay ofradioorgaor Konrad Dussel's the Cold cinemas War, comparison during intheWeimar thenazis, and under nization andradioprogramming Republic, is 1945. Sometimes the individed after comparative perspectivenot Germany in examination Karl Christian Fiihrer's as discernible, compelling immediately in nazi Germany, which the of American movies goes beyond years1933 to of in itstitle, therather and juxtaposes 1939 mentioned positive reception reactions shown the NS with more reluctant movies under regime Hollywood in theWeimar audiences and critics years.NationalSocialists, by German ingeneral the 'were not hostile to American culture Fhrer concludes, during movement to a 1930s.American cultural political clearly appealed populism to create a newGerman (107). Volksgemeinschaff eager in well it fits thesis as Fhrer's Counter-intuitive mayappearat first sight, dictathe to which in which also other with emphasize degree essays findings In media influence. to at least torial were, permeable foreign partially, regimes Heather Gumbert inEastGermany, for on television her contribution instance, inthelate1950sto undertake authorities refers toa decision bythecommunist oftheir standards conversion' ofthebroadcast and costly 'a time-consuming for East Germans even to the Western standard, paying European equipment setsto thenewmodel(150). The intention to convert their television existing
of Long gone are the days when themedia were regardedas a merereflection

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Reviews

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behindthis move, it seems,was to broadcast GDR televisionto the greatest the authorconpossiblenumberof Germansin East and West. Significantly, had fadeda decade laterwhen theSED thisdetermination cedes in a footnote, the introduction was facedwitha similardecision,thistimeregarding regime of colour programming. of anthologiessuch to sum up the diversefindings difficult It is notoriously as Fhrer as thisin a fewwords,especiallywhen theymap out new territory, and Ross's volumeclearlydoes. More thanthat,partof thecharmof thiscoltheir authors lectionof essayslies in thefactthattheeditorshave notconfined of mass media in twentieth-century to one singletheoryof the development thecontributors to look at thetopic from Rather, theyhave invited Germany. and and test various different approaches. arguments methodological angles There are, however,at least threeclosely relatedthemeswhich run through most of the essays. First,the heavily debated question of how the media Most authorsstressthe indepenimpactson the consumerrecursfrequently. what the of therecipients when it comes to appropriating denceand creativity cultural The factthatthemediapropagated'standardized' mediahave to offer. exerted 'does not mean that Fhrer and Ross assert, artefacts, theynecessarily in in the as the of these artefacts and effects, public reception standardizing or predictable'(7). Most essays therefore home was by no means uniform characterof the relaemphasizethe limitsof censorshipand the negotiating and writers and between readers, programmers audience,film-makers tionship in societies and in dictatorships. both democratic and their public, about the connection betweenthemedia and there is the discussion Second, for a was dominated Habermas's thepublicsphere which, longtime, byJrgen the Public seminalwork on The Structural Transformation of Sphere,origiHabermas is citedonlyonce, manyauthors nallypublishedin 1962. Although refute thenotionthatan informed bourgeoispublic spheredegenerimplicitly In ofcultural ated through system expansionintoa non-political consumption. Bernhard Fulda his essay on Germantabloids in WeimarBerlin,forinstance, demonstrates thattabloidswere not simplyproviders of apoliticonvincingly to an cal sensationsand entertainment increasingly homogenous group of literate urbanconsumers, but thatthe 'proliferation of tabloids in Berlinafter 1918 was primarily drivenbypoliticalconcerns'(198). The twentieth-century of the mass media in Germanycannot be reducedto the storyof an history of thepress',but should be viewedas a process 'commercialization increasing of expansion and diversification designed to achieve both commercialand aims. political The thirdcomplex of questions regardsthe relationshipbetween social, In theirintroduction, culturaland politicalhistory. the editorsclassifytheir to the'culturalexpansionof social history' volumeas a contribution (3). What their volumedoes, however,is morethanthat.For it also brings politicsback in intosocial and culturalhistory an era of democratithat, by demonstrating zation and consumption, the spheresof politicson the one hand, and culture, and leisureon the other,could not be keptas clearlyseparated entertainment

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of Contemporary Vol 44 No 3 Journal History

As themediaare notonlya cultural artefact and from each other as before. within or between butalso meansof communication societies, indispensable are strategically situated at the business and political actors, they enterprises different which historians haveoften tended to treat interface between spheres suited to integrate Media history is, thus, cultural, social, ideally separately. economic andpolitical history. to expect a blueprint forsuchan integrated It wouldbe too early history. newinsights intoan imporThe present offers substantial volume, however, various as to which tantfield ofresearch and also presents suggestions questions sucha history wouldneedto address. Dominik Geppert FreieUniversitt Berlin to ControlWorld The Struggle MatthewConnelly, Fatal Misconception: and London: Harvard Press, 2008; MA, University Cambridge, Population, xiv+ 521 pp; 22.95hbk;ISBN: 9780674024236 theWest?'1 The article 'MustIt Be theRestAgainst Atlantic entitled Monthly fears of overtradition of fomenting followed a longand not-so-venerable in it's racist orrealthe Third World. 'Whether and fantasy population poverty read. 'As that won't the cover istic it's a concern, caption go away,' question earth overwhelm the will the wretched of the and increase, population misery Western paradise?' has donean aboutofresearch and writing Fourteen later, Connelly years and of global a face,producing comprehensive history significant critique inthe archival research control. Basedon impressive movements ofpopulation in the with the and interviews and field, book India, USA,Europe keyplayers of keypoints summation Whilemoreexplicit is richin detailand evidence. that the the wouldhelpreaders Connelly eloquently argues navigate longtext, if the not control has of violated, undermined, outright project population the world. of around andreproductive human rights poorpeople thepushing sterilization interventions suchas involuntary campaigns, Policy control a on and of dangerous making population contraceptives women, of an health care are the outcome than basic ideology priority higher budgetary andignores thecomplex their ownpoverty blames thepoorfor that essentially The decisions. relations thatshapefertility forces and gender socio-economic lites to from control of fatal proponents, powerful misconceptionpopulation 'was to think of 'births out to meet averted', targets personnel family planning knewit thembetter thanthey thatone couldknowother people'sinterests
theWest?'Atlantic 'Must It Be the RestAgainst 1 Matthew and Paul Kennedy, Connelly 1994),61-84. 274(6) (December Monthly

In 1994 Matthew Connellyco-authoredan articlewith Paul Kennedyin the

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