Historian Probes Conductor Von Karajan's Nazi Past

Arutz Sheva ^ | 17/12/12 | Rachel Hirshfeld

[Eleutheria5]

Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan, a major figure in 20th-century classical music, was a more adamant Nazi supporter than previously believed, according to a historian who has unearthed previously unseen documents.

"It is time to probe scientifically the claims that Karajan constructed and cobbled together... and which in the end he really believed himself," said Oliver Rathkolb from Vienna University, according to AFP.

Presenting his findings at a seminar on Friday, Rathkolb cited anti-Semitic comments from letters written by Karajan (1908-1989) in his youth and said that at school the legendary maestro had belonged to an ultra-nationalist, pan-German youth group in Salzburg.

Rathkolb also questioned Karajan's claims after World War II that he only joined the Nazi party in order to be able to pursue his musical career, citing his application to join in April 1933, five years before the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.

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[Borges]

Mussolini was actually very cultured.

[ConservativeDude]

You are quite right.

For me, I’ve really become focused only on these sorts of things.

In the short term, we’re pretty well screwed. Turn our attentions to the long term.

Everyone should check out the website The Imaginary Conservative. It is great.

[darrellmaurina]

41 posted on Wed Dec 19 2012 10:57:37 GMT-0600 (Central Standard Time) by Borges: "Mussolini was actually very cultured."

He was an Italian, after all. ;-) It's only after we got to America that we became better known for our shooting skills and willingness to defy authority, which often meant Irish cops, than for our cultural heritage.

Part of the evil genius of fascism is its ability to appeal to the cultural icons of nationalism. Fascism in Spain, France, Hungary, and Latin America had differences in externals because different nations had different cultural traditions, but in each of those countries fascism shared the same essential characteristics of authoritarianism centered on a single leader, a strong military, and a heavy state role in the economy.

Freedom works. Fascism doesn't. But sometimes, as with Franco's Spain and several different Latin American regimes, it takes a while for people to figure that out.