The arts as a weapon of war
Subtitle: Britain and the shaping of the national morale in the Second World War
By: Jörn Weingärtner.
Series: International library of war studies -- 5
Publisher: Tauris Academic Studies; Distributed in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: London; New York; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 238
Subjects: World War, 1939-1945 -- Great Britain -- Psychological aspects; Great Britain -- Cultural policy
Description: This work is a strong social and cultural history with new information on many institutions familiar today (e.g. BBC, National Theatre) and it is a fascinating background to the contemporary relationship between government and the arts. In 1834, Lord Melbourne spoke the words that epitomised the British government's attitude towards its own involvement in the arts: 'God help the minister that meddles with Art'. One hundred years later, however, with the onset of World War II, that attitude changed dramatically when 'cultural policy' became a key element of the domestic front. "The Arts as a Weapon of War" traces the evolution of this policy from the creation of the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, in 1939, to the drafting of the Arts Council's constitution in 1945. From the improvement of the National Gallery to Myra Hess's legendary concerts during the blitz, Jorn Weingartner provides a fascinating account of the powerful policy shift that laid the foundations for the modern relationship between the government and the arts.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [210]-236) and index.