May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square in berlin with books and writings deemed ungerman. Fahrenheit 451 movie and the true history of book burning time. The memorial to the bookburning on berlins bebelplatz shows an empty, underground library. It is believed that as many as 25,000 volumes were eliminated via flame.
Eightyfive years ago, fires fueled with literature labeled ungerman by the nazi regime. Nazi book burning in berlin 1933 pictureallianceap photo. These book burnings marked the beginning of a period of. Reviews of the shortest history of germany by james hawes and the german war by nicholas stargardt. Book burnings were regularly organised in nazi germany in the 1930s by stormtroopers so degenerate works could be destroyed, especially works which were written by jewish authors such as thomas mann, marcel proust and karl marx. One of the most infamous book burnings in the 20th century occurred in frankfurt, germany on may 10th, 1933. On may 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across germany burned over 25,000 books.
When the american military government opened its libraries in germany, austria, japan, korea, and. Monuments and memorials of book burning in nazi germany. The seething bonfire below him was already swallowing up thousands of books as the 23. Book burning in berlin facing history and ourselves. All across germany, with most being in towns housing universities, protests were held. The tolerant for its time policies of venice made it a center for the printing of jewish books and of books in general, yet the talmud was publicly burned in 1553 and there was a lesserknown burning of jewish books in 1568.
A brief history of book burning, from the printing press to internet archives as long as there have been books, people have burned. On may 10, 1933, more than 25,000 volumes of ungerman books were burned in the square in front of the state opera in berlin. The burning of books under the nazi regime on may 10, 1933, is perhaps the most famous book burning in history. The largest recognized book burning demonstration took place on may 10, 1933. The nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the german student union the dst to ceremonially burn books in nazi germany and austria in the 1930s. When books were burned in germany germany news and in.
Fahrenheit 451 movie and the true history of book burning. A hundred years before the advent of hitler, the german jewish poet, heinrich heine, had declared. Luthers translation of the bible went up in flames in catholic parts of germany in the 1640s, and in the 1730s the archbishop of salzburg oversaw the burning of every protestant book and bible. Nazis and students burn books on a huge bonfire of antigerman literature in the opernplatz, berlin, in 1933. The book burnings were initiated and hosted by the nationalist german student association, thus stealing a march on the national socialist german students league. Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too. Holocaust memorial museum detailed the organized and systematic burning of books in nazi germany.
How nazis destroyed books in a quest to destroy european culture. On may 10, 1933, german students under the nazi regime burned tens of thousands of books nationwide. A nineteenthcentury precedent the may 1933 book burning in nazi germany had a precedent in nineteenth century germany. Rydell notes that the third reich did pseudoresearch on witchcraft and witchburning for its. Book burnings in germany, 1933 american experience official.
On may 10, 1934, one year after the book burnings, the germany library of burnt books founded by alfred kantorowicz was opened to assemble copies of the books that had been destroyed. The bebelplatz is known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies held in the evening of 10 may 1933 in many german university cities. I turn everything ungerman over to the fire, he cried. Theses, a title chosen to be evocative of two events in german history. The horrible, oppressive history of book burning in america. When alqaida islamists invaded mali, and then timbuktu in 2012, among their targets were priceless manuscriptsbooks that needed to be burned.
1430 1488 405 961 1084 232 434 646 562 917 649 1568 569 990 1199 926 1365 676 839 1562 77 734 494 1169 1059 958 89 161 1471 1264 462 376 1074 516 401 960 1059 433 135