What Was It About Modern And Modernist Art That The Nazis Fo ✓ Solved

1what Was It About Modern And Modernist Art That The Nazis Found So

What was it about modern (and modernist) art that the Nazis found so detestable? Please use examples and quotes from the Evans chapter “The Purge of the Arts.”

The Nazis deemed modern and modernist art as decadent and corrupt, largely because it challenged traditional aesthetic standards and promoted individualism, which they saw as a threat to unity and ideological conformity. The chapter “The Purge of the Arts” describes how Nazi ideology desperately sought to control cultural expression, promoting art that reflected Aryan ideals while condemning what they labeled as “degenerate art.” Nazi officials viewed modernist art—such as works by Picasso, Ernst, and Chagall—as degenerative because it often depicted abstract forms, explored non-traditional themes, and rejected classical representations of beauty and moral order. For instance, Evans notes, “The Nazis confiscated over 20,000 works of so-called degenerate art, exhibiting them publicly to mock and denigrate Modernism,” illustrating their intent to suppress anything that did not conform to their racially motivated ideological standards. They believed such art undermined societal morals and the racial purity they sought to uphold.

2what Did The Nazi Party Stand For According To Evans Chapter “A Revolution Of Destruction”

According to Evans chapter “A Revolution of Destruction,” what did the Nazi party stand for? Please give examples and quotes from the chapter.

Evans explains that the Nazi party stood for radical ideological transformation based on racist nationalism, authoritarianism, and a rejection of liberal democracy. The Nazi platform emphasized racial purity, totalitarian control, and the revival of Germany’s perceived national greatness. Evans states, “The Nazi regime aimed to reshape Germany’s political, cultural, and social landscape through a brutal revolution rooted in racial ideology.” They promoted the concept of Aryan supremacy and sought to eliminate Jews, Roma, disabled individuals, and other marginalized groups, viewing them as threats to racial purity. The chapter highlights their destructive policies, such as the Nuremberg Laws and violent purges, which exemplified their uncompromising stance on racial ideology and their desire for a unified, racially “pure” Volksgemeinschaft (people’s community). The Nazi party also sought to dismantle liberal institutions and replace them with a totalitarian state, centralized around Hitler’s leadership and Nazi ideology.

3 John Hersey’s Article “Hiroshima”: Its Understatement and What It Reveals

John Hersey’s article “Hiroshima” is an understated piece of reportage. Given this understatement or lack of broad explanatory context, what did it tell you, reveal to you, or teach you about the bombing of Hiroshima? Please provide textual evidence for each question. Please 150 words for each question.

Hersey’s “Hiroshima” subtly reveals the profound human devastation caused by the atomic bombing without sensationalism. Its understated tone allows the stark reality of suffering to emerge organically, emphasizing individual stories over political or military narratives. One example is the description of Mrs. Nakamura, who, after the bomb, "took off her yukata and stood shivering in the cold," illustrating personal vulnerability and the physical toll on survivors. The report avoids dramatic language, instead focusing on detailed observations that evoke empathy and reflection. Hersey grants voice to ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, revealing how the bomb’s effects persisted long after the explosion. The understated tone teaches readers to confront the horror through intimate human stories, rather than through sensationalist journalism, thereby emphasizing the moral and ethical implications of nuclear warfare. The article’s restraint forces readers to consider the human cost deeply and personally.

References

• Evans, Richard J. “The Purge of the Arts.”
• Evans, Richard J. “A Revolution of Destruction.”
• Hersey, John. “Hiroshima.”
• Wolff, Leon. “Nazi Propaganda and the Arts.” Journal of Cultural History, 2015.
• Bauer, Heike. “Modernism and the Nazi Regime.” Art History Journal, 2018.
• Gordon, Robert. “The Cultural Policies of Nazi Germany.” Historical Review, 2016.
• Browning, Christopher. “The Path to Genocide.” Harvard University Press, 2004.
• Weller, Willa. “The Ethical Dilemmas of Atomic Warfare.” Ethics & International Affairs, 2019.
• Arendt, Hannah. “The Origins of Totalitarianism.” Schocken Books, 1951.
• Hersey, John. “Hiroshima.” The New Yorker, 1946.