Art As Politics in the Third Reich

“A masterpiece of ‘real’ historiography based on extensive research in primary sources concerning National Socialist Art policy throughout the globe.” — Contemporary Austrian Studies

“Almost as soon as the Nazis seized control, they recognized that those who had the power to censor the arts . . . could control the government. An explanation of how this well-organized system worked is the strongest contribution of Art as Politics in the Third Reich.” — Chicago Tribune

“Jonathan Petropoulos has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the cultural history of the Third Reich. . . . This work is a commendable embodiment of years of diligent research and will become a standard work on the history of the Third Reich.” — German Studies Review

“This is a thoroughly researched and extremely useful work. . . . Indispensable for understanding the importance that the [Nazi] leadership attached to being cultured and the interpersonal relationships among the leaders.” — Contemporary Sociology

“[A] fascinating, meticulously researched, and profusely illustrated book. . . . Petropoulos provides dramatic narrative as well as perceptive analysis. . . . Petropoulos has assembled a bounty of evidence which clearly demonstrates that the Nazi leadership was much more obsessed with art than we have imagined — not out of aesthetic appreciation, but rather hunger for prestige and material greed.” — Canadian Journal of History

“Using a variety of archival sources, Petropoulos convinces the reader that art was employed as a means of displaying power in the widest political sense. Dividing his account in two sections — administering art and collecting art — Petropoulos demonstrates the interconnectedness of the two enterprises and reminds the reader that for the Nazis, art was politics, and politics a high art.” — CHOICE

“The author’s analysis of the plundering of art is a worthwhile addition to the literature on art in Germany between 1933 and 1945, and to the history of the Third Reich itself.” — Central European History

“An excellent source of information about art theft and destruction by the self-styled cultural elite of Nazi Germany.” — American Historical Review

“This book is a must in the library of anyone who writes, thinks, wonders and puzzles about the years between 1933 and 1945, when one man’s anger terrorized the whole world.” — Trans-Atlantic Dialogue: Newsletter of the American Council on Germany

“This is a first-rate contribution to the historiography of the Third Reich. Well researched and rich in information on the role played by the visual arts in the competition among certain leaders, it enhances substantially our understanding of Nazi cultural policies.” — Vernon L. Lidtke, Johns Hopkins University