Nazi control of cultural life

The file contains information on the Nazis' control of cultural life. Amongst others the documents describe the government control of publishing in Germany. According to National Socialist ideas the press is supposed to be in the service of the state and the nation. Consequently, freedom of press was more and more restricted with the Nazis' rise to power. The production of books was regulated by the Nazi state and excluded many writers whose works were barred from all libraries, public or private. A special bureau was put in place to supervise and check all existing libraries as well as their new purchases. Opinion pieces in National Socialist newspapers argued that the total cultural sector as well as Science should not be free but serve the "needs" of the people. Similarly, they dismiss an objective historiography but insist a historical narrative from a German point of view is essential.