Narrative Of Crisis In Weimar Culture

Rather than focusing strictly on the utility of the term “modernity,” alternative critics of the sociocultural school have critiqued the validity of the “narrative of crisis” as it pertains to Weimar culture. Peter Fritzsche argues that while the advent of modern technologies was disruptive to some degree - Weimar society was not in a state of sociocultural panic. Instead, the arrival of cinema, radio, and upgrades to printing technologies engendered an “open space” for expression that most of society welcomed. More fervent critics of Peukert and Weitz (the socioculturalists) have not denied that Weimar was in a state of sociocultural “crisis,” but argued that the term is too frequently used to draw callous causal connections between heightened tensions and the forthcoming rise of the Nazi Party. …show more content…
While creating a narrative of chaos and decline seems sensible for a story that ends in National Socialism, the construction of a pessimistic prelude via a “narrative of crisis,” according to Graf, ignores the aspects of “modernity” that were welcomed by Weimar society. Moreover, Graf argues semantics, asserting that “the original meaning of ‘crisis’ as a ‘time of decision’” seems to be more a more accurate way to describe Weimar. Not simply in a state of sociocultural flux, Weimar Germany, according to Graf, was a time of deliberation over the democratic order, which was reflected in the culture. However, Graf’s agitation with the word “crisis” seems to be a relatively mediocre contribution to the historiography of Weimar. Whether or not Germany was in a neutral state of deliberation or undergoing a severe crisis is ultimately irrelevant: the end result was