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The Twelve Theses were issued in early April 1933 by Press and Propaganda SectionThis section was also founded in early April and the issuance of the theses was its first action. ''Levy'' p. 79. of the
The English text of the
German Student Union
The German Student Union (, abbreviated ''DSt'') from 1919 until 1945, was the merger of the general student committees of all German universities, including Danzig, Austria and the former German universities in Czechoslovakia.
The DSt was ...
and called for German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
students
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school ...
to purge the German language
German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
and literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
of Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
influence and to restore those aspects of German culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
to their "pure" volkische traditions
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common exa ...
. The theses were posted on university campuses throughout Germany prior to the May 1933 book burnings
Book burning is the deliberate destruction by fire of books or other written materials, usually carried out in a public context. The burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or politic ...
.
Text
The English text of the theses
A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
(as those are posted to the right) reads as follows:The theses appeared in the '' Volkischer Beobachter'' of 14 April 1933.
Commentary
#While the theses targeted the "Jewish spirit" (''jüdischer Geist'') and books expressing this, it also attacked concepts that were "un-German" (''undeutsch''). It is not clear from the theses themselves whether this term is intended to be synonymous with "Jewishness". #The theses do not themselves expressly call for book burning. #Thesis 1 expressly implies that there should be no foreign literature in Germany, entailing a complete ban of all non-German literature,''Ritchie'' p. 67. at least on works translated into German. #Theses 11 and 12 would reserve German universities exclusively to German students and professors, devoid of foreign elements. #See also
*Nazi book burnings
The Nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the German Student Union (, ''DSt'') to ceremonially Book burning, burn books in Nazi Germany and First Austrian Republic, Austria in the 1930s. The books targeted for burning were those viewed ...
*National Socialist Program
The National Socialist Program, also known as the Nazi Party Program, the 25-point Program or the 25-point Plan (), was the party program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP, and referred to in English as the Nazi Party). Adolf ...
*Hutu Ten Commandments
The "Hutu Ten Commandments" (also "Ten Commandments of the Bahutu") was a document published in the December 1990 edition of ''Kangura'', an anti-Tutsi, Hutu Power Rwandan-language newspaper in Kigali, Rwanda. The Hutu Ten Commandments are often c ...
Footnotes
References
* *{{cite book, title=German Literature Under National Socialism, last=Ritchie, first=J.M., publisher=Taylor & Francis, year=1983, isbn=0-389-20418-8, url-access=registration, url=https://archive.org/details/germanliterature0000ritc Nazi culture Nazi incitement to genocide of Jews 1933 documents 1933 in Germany