VA - Berliner Nächte 1930 - 1943

At the start of the 20th century when the industrial revolution took hold in Berlin, popular culture evolved in parallel, including music. Afer the first world war the German republic not only politicized, it also danced. Frantically - at least in Berlin. There the entertainment industry boomed in the 1920s. There were the risqué naked shows and the so-called amusement cabarets, but serious theater also blossomed and cinema became popular. The situation was described as a heady mixture of sekt, smoke, sex and satire.

This fertile culture of Berlin extended onwards until Adolf Hitler rose to power in early 1933 and stamped out any and all resistance to the Nazi Party. German cabaret and jazz clubs really died out by the mid-1930s. From the 20s to about 1934/5, things were sweet, but the rise of Nazism really killed off the German music-scene. A lot of the popular German jazz-tunes of the 20s and 30s were all written by Jewish songwriters and musicians. Not only did the musicians and songwriters have to flee with the rise of Nazism, but all their music was destroyed. It became illegal to perform, purchase or play "non-Aryan" music.

VA - Berliner Nächte 1930 - 1943
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