„Unser Volk in Gefahr!": Der Kampf gegen „Schund- und Schmutzliteratur“ im späten Kaiserreich und der Weimarer Republik

Abstract

This year marks the 100th anniversary of a relatively little-known law: The „Gesetz zur Bewahrung der Jugend vor Schund- und Schmutzschriften“ („Law for the Protection of Youth from Trash and Obscene Publica-tions“) (SchG) was passed by the German Reichstag on December 3, 1926, and went into effect on December 18. This law, consisting of only seven paragraphs, resulted in a de facto ban on the distribution of a total of 108 books, magazines, and series. Starting with the social and media upheavals of the late 19th century, this paper demonstrates how the mass dissemination of pulp and entertainment literature sparked a broad countermovement that called for a „campaign against trash“ directed at the new mass literature and ultimately led to legislative action (I). The SchG is then explained, along with its mode of operation (II), before criticism of the law is voiced from both a contemporary and a modern perspective (III). Furthermore, the adjudication practices of the specially estab-lished review boards will be outlined (IV) and, using the decisions regarding the works of the jurist and writer Walter Serner as examples, it will be demonstrated how the review boards undermined their own criteria and ultimately argued in an overtly judgmental manner (V). Finally, the essay concludes that the SchG and the adju-dication practices can only be understood against the backdrop of the social and cultural circumstances of the time, and situates the role of the review boards within this context.