The square outside berlin university a bonfire burns as hitler youth. The mobs also burned the books of helen keller, an american author who was a socialist, a pacifist, and the first deafblind person to graduate from college. Book burning united states holocaust memorial museum. It was a small, lowkeyed event at odeonsplatz, but everyone that passed by was reminded of the dark history of may 10,1933. Students contribute antigerman books to be destroyed at a berlin book burning on may 10, 1933. Book burnings in germany, 1933 american experience official. 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. After the nazis gained control of germany in the 1930s, the institute and its libraries were destroyed as part of a nazi government censorship program by youth brigades, who burned its books and documents in the street. May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square in berlin with books.
They believe that the book burning would keep the german literature and language from external influences. Some of germany s most valuable creative works went up in flames on may 10, 1933. A crowd of 40,000 people watch ungerman books, by authors not considered to conform to nazi ideaology, being burned in the opernplatz, berlin, 10th may 1933. The burning was organised by the german student association and the crowd was addressed by nazi propaganda minister joseph goebbels. The burning of the books 10 may 1933 berlin, german. It is believed that as many as 25,000 volumes were eliminated via flame.
In 1933, nazi german authorities aimed to synchronize professional and cultural organizations with nazi ideology and policy gleichschaltung. Many book burnings were held, but the book burning on may 10, 1933 was perhaps the most famous. A painting of nazi book burning in berlin 1933 any media that conveyed antinazi ideas or even other ways of life, was censored. Some 20,000 books by jewish authors and nonjews suspected of writing in a jewish spirit were thrown into the fire by an angry and exhilarated mob, many of them students. The may 1933 book burning in nazi germany had a precedent in nineteenth.
On the evening of may 10, 1933, some 70,000 people gathered at the opernplatz in berlin. Over a hundred years earlier, the germanjewish poet, heinrich heine, had stated, where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too. Sep 10, 2010 while the book burnings of 1933 were largely independently led by fascist students, presaging the mass violence, real and symbolic that was then starting to take over germany, they were actively. May 10 17, 1933 news articles about the nazi book burnings. Censorship of newspapers, radio, cinema and the theatre was enforced.
The main book burning took place at berlins opera square, known today as bebel square, on the evening of may 10, 1933. Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too. In 1933, the authorities for germany began striving for synchronizing cultural and professional organizations with nazi ideology holocaust memorial museum. Berlin, germany, may 10, 1933, national archives and records administration, accessed. Memorial in memory of the burning of books wikipedia. Examples of books burned by the nazis on display at yad vashem. May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square in berlin with. The burning of books under the nazi regime on may 10, 1933, is perhaps the most famous book burning in history. On may 10, 1933, german students under the nazi regime burned tens of thousands of books nationwide. Joseph goebbels, german propaganda minister, speaks on the night of book burning. May 10, 1933, a public burning of books in berlin, germany.
On may 10, 1933, university students burn upwards of 25,000 ungerman books in berlins opera square. In berlin 40,000 people gathered to hear german minister of public enlightenment and propaganda joseph goebbels give a speech in berlins opera square. The mass book burnings marked a turning point in the nazis ideology campaigns. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to nazism. A group of nazi troops and students gather seized papers and books to burn, in the opernplatz, berlin.
Enthusiastic crowds witnessed the burning of books by brecht, einstein, freud, mann and remarque, among. The speech and book burning were accompanied by the singing of nazi songs and anthems. Book burning in berlin facing history and ourselves. Til of the sunkin library book burning memorial in berlin, germany. It is tempting to view the symbolic moment as foretelling of what was to follow during 12 years of nazi rule. The may 1933 book burning in berlin is remembered by many as one of the key events of the early days of nazi germany. Though the largest book burning took place in berlin, munich staged its own event on konigsplatz where enthusiastic crowds witnessed the burning of books by brecht, einstein, freud, mann and remarque, among many other. The square outside berlin university a bonfire burns as hitler youth members walk past carrying nazi flags. The site of the famous nazi book burning campaign of 1933 remembers its night of shame. These included books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal. A ritual public burning of noxious jewish writings was held opposite the university of berlin on may 10, 1933. The largest recognized book burning demonstration took place on may 10, 1933. Aug 06, 2019 on the 10th of may 1933 the main event of an organized burning of books took place on the bebelplatz.
Book burning in berlin, germany, may 10, 1933 at berlins opernplatz, crowds of german students and members of the sa gather for the burning of books deemed ungerman. The purpose of the nazi book burning was to destroy all ideologies that were considered to be ungerman. The nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the german student union the dst. May 05, 2003 book burning online exhibit at the united states holocaust memorial museum web site words on fire, a site about u. On may 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across germany burned over 25,000 books. In 1817, german student associations burschenschaften chose the 300th anniversary of luthers 95 theses to. Includes a chapter examining the history of heinrich heines tragedy almansor, in which appears the prescient line. Til of the sunkin library book burning memorial in berlin. National archives return to the history place world war ii timeline. Describe the scene of the 1933 book burning in nazi germany. The may 1933 book burning in nazi germany had a precedent in nineteenth century germany. A hundred years before the advent of hitler, the germanjewish poet, heinrich heine, had declared. The burning of books a hundred years before the advent of hitler, the german jewish poet, heinrich heine, had declared.
The main book burning took place at berlin s opera square, known today as bebel square, on the evening of may 10, 1933. In 1817, german student associations burschenschaften chose the 300th anniversary of luthers 95 theses to hold a festival at the wartburg, a castle in thuringia where luther had sought sanctuary after his excommunication. These book burnings marked the beginning of a period of. On 10 may 1933, members of the nazi german student union and their professors. He ordered leaders of the regime to confiscate and destroy any literature deemed subversive to the national socialist agenda. Describes the student parade that preceded the bonfire, the chants that accompanied the consignment of some authors works to the fire, and the speech by joseph goebbels in the midst of the occasion. More than 20,000 books were brought to the square for the event. Nazism germany 19331945 cultural affairs book burning flag burning berlin. In the middle of the square on 10 may 1933, nazi students burnt the works of hundreds of independent authors, journalists, philosophers and academics. The memorial to the bookburning on berlins bebelplatz shows an empty. Germans crowd around a truck filled with ungerman books, confiscated from the library of the institute for sexual science, for burning by the nazis. Apr, 2014 unused unissued material no paperwork dates unclear or unknown. The memorial commemorates the 10th of may 1933, when students of the national socialist student union and many professors of the friedrichwilhelmsuniversitat today humboldtuniversitat under the musical accompaniment of sa and sskapellen, burnt over 20,000.
The nazi book burnings in berlin included the archives of the institute. When books were burned in germany germany news and in. May 10, 1933 students and storm troopers on the opera square in berlin with books and writings deemed ungerman. On the 10th of may 1933 the main event of an organized burning of books took place on the bebelplatz. Us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of national archives and records administration, college park, md. Book burnings in germany, 1933 american experience. On may 10, 1933 student groups at universities across germany carried out a series of book burnings of works that the students and leading nazi party members associated with an ungerman spirit. A nineteenthcentury precedent the may 1933 book burning in nazi germany had a precedent in nineteenth century germany. The piazza became renowned after the shocking incident that took place on the evening of 10 may 1933. May 11 31, 1933 editorials, opeds, letters to the editor, and political cartoons reacting to the book burnings and nazi suppression of free speech, expression, and political opposition. In 1933, university students were on a mission to cleanse germany of jewish intellectual ideas fishburn, 2007.
Based on the new york times story of may 11, 1933 on the berlin book burning. The library is built underground, is not accessible to the public, and can only be viewed through a glass plate that shows enough empty bookcases to hold 20,000 books, the amount burned in a book burning event on may 10, 1933. More night time shots people throw books onto the burning bonfire. Nazi party leaders and student groups from various universities gathered to burn books which they considered to be ungerman in spirit. All across germany, with most being in towns housing universities, protests were held. On 10 may 1933, members of the nazi german student union and their professors burnt books as part of a nationwide action against the ungerman spirit. Site of 1933 nazi book burning bebelplatz, berlin traveller. The works of jewish authors like albert einstein and sigmund freud went up in flames alongside. Not only in berlin, but also in many other german towns hordes of national socialist students. Book burnings in opernplatz, berlin one of the first targets of adolf hitler and his nazi organization were books.