Contents
- A letter by Thomas Mann. [Text]
- Context 1: Thomas Mann in exile. [JPG Image and Text]
- Context 2: The Case “Thomas Mann“. [Text]
- The Reaction. [Text]
Curricular level
History Classes (NW): Gymnasium. Topic: “National Socialism and World War II”, i.e. “Escapes and displacement in Europe”: 9th grade.
Gesamtschule: 11th grade / Realschule: 10th grade. 
Abstract
Thomas Mann tried to deal with the subject of fascism quite early. As a Nobel Prize Winner and a symbol of “decent Germany “ he was very soon asked by other exiles to take a firm stand against national socialism and to support other less known exiles who did that. Thomas Mann did not comply with this request. The document of 1936, published in the Zürcher Zeitung was his first public statement against National Socialism.
The German administration was thinking a lot about Thomas Mann, wondering whether to expatriate him or not. The Foreign Office was against it because they feared an enormous loss of the reputation of Germany. However, after the publication of Thomas Mann’s letter they started the expatriation process. Still, it is interesting that nobody was in a hurry to do that. They were awaiting the Olympic Games, so they did not want the possible damage to the reputation to impair the enormous propaganda success of the event. They were also afraid of the boycotts of the Olympic Games, which should be avoided by all means.
Conceptual Objectives
The pupils interpret the actions of the national socialists on the basis of sources and pictures.
They shift the perspective so that their interpretations seize also the contemporary background and the point of view of others.
They arrange historical events, structures and persons chronologically, spatially and thematically. Thus they can explain the behavior of the national socialists and why the expatriation of Mann could impair the propaganda of success before the Olympic Games.
They recognize the fact that a dictatorial regime contradicts itself as soon as it tries to mask its dictatorial character.
They use basic methods of interpretation and use basic work procedures to get information from pictures and charts.
They analyze, compare and assess what people did in the context of their values and the way of living.
