The Anarchy of Nazi Memorabilia - From Things of Tyranny to Troubled Treasure by Michael Hughes
At a Glance
Section titled âAt a Glanceâ| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2022-07-01 |
| Journal | Technology and Culture |
| Authors | Richard Overy |
Abstract
Section titled âAbstractâReviewed by: The Anarchy of Nazi Memorabilia: From Things of Tyranny to Troubled Treasure by Michael Hughes Richard Overy (bio) The Anarchy of Nazi Memorabilia: From Things of Tyranny to Troubled Treasure By Michael Hughes. New York: Routledge, 2022. Pp. 239. This is an unusual book in many respects. Hughes writes with authority and understanding about the production of medals and artifacts in the Third Reich and their subsequent postwar circulation as collectiblesâeven though he is completely blind. Secondly, he explores an avenue for understanding the Third Reich through a particular and littleresearched aspect of its material culture. Third, he goes on to explain why this material culture has developed a symbolic value beyond the producersâ original intention as the artifacts make their way into markets pandering to the fascination with Nazi memorabilia. This is an original and thought-provoking account. The chief focus is on the medals, badges, and awards made to civilians and soldiers during [End Page 863] the period of the Third Reich. These were mass-produced in remarkable numbersâ8 million Hindenberg Honour Awards (1934) for veterans of the war of 1914-18, 31 million badges for the Winter Help charity campaign of 1933, 3.5 million iron crosses during World War II. In the opening chapters, Hughes examines the background, manufacture, and circulation of all the main artifacts distributed during the period. The early National Socialist Party badges were produced by the Munich firm of Deschler (later recruited in 1945 to produce insignia for the American occupation authorities), but over the years the sheer scale of badge and medal production involved a range of small firms, many of which by 1943-44 were employing forced labor for the job. Hughes is interested in addressing the âmaterialityâ of the Third Reich, so that much space is devoted in the early chapters to the precise details of the artifacts he discusses and the materials that were used to make them. From a technical point of view, the pioneering development by the Dynamit-Nobel company of the thermal plastic Trolitul was a godsend for the mass production of millions of Winter Help badges, which could be injection molded and pigmented, making them cheaper and easier to produce than the metal medals and badges. The desire to save metals needed for rearmament in the 1930s also saw a decline in the use of steel and the search for substitute materials, particularly zinc. Only one award, the National Prize for Arts and Sciences, instituted at Hitlerâs insistence to replace the Nobel Prizes for Germans, was made of precious metals and diamonds and was awarded only in very few cases. Ferdinand Porsche, designer of the Volkswagen, was granted one; another was presented to Fritz Todt, who organized the building of the Autobahnen, Germanyâs first motorways. Willy Messerschmitt and Ernst Heinkel, top German aircraft designers, were rewarded with prizes for the ways in which they married technology and war. The second part of the book, and the concluding pages of each chapter, are devoted to discussing the collection of the memorabilia described in the opening sections. This is clearly a troubled activity since most collectors, by Hughesâs account, see nothing wrong with paying high prices for awards made in the course of a genocidal war or presented to supporters of the Hitler regime. The appeal does not appear to be symbolic, though the artifacts are indeed symbols of the dictatorship, but instead reflects a fascination with a range of memorabilia more attractive and more sought after than the badges and awards of the Soviet Union, which are still cheap and plentiful on the market but closely associated with Communism. Hughes shows that some collectors are indeed attracted to the aura that is said to surround the objects; some may even be closet sympathizers, particularly in Germany, where collecting used to be an underground affair. But others simply collect Nazi memorabilia as they might stamps or coins. The socalled âBandit Badge,â awarded to soldiers and security men who carried [End Page 864] out the savage antipartisan war, is much sought after by collectors, despite rewarding atrocious behavior. Hughes concludes by asking how greater awareness of the nature of theâŚ