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The Rape of Europa Viewing GuideChapter 1: The Greatest Thieves“There is the ages-old argument: Which is of more value, a work of art or a human life?”It has been argued that if the culture of the regions the Allies were trying to save was destroyed, that saving the people would not matter much in the long run. React to the quote: “There is the ages-old argument: Which is of more value, a work of art or a human life?”Chapter 2: New Fascist Art“A painting could be traded for a life”Context in history: With the annexation of Austria in 1938, widespread looting of Jewish property began on a massive scale. What did Hitler hate about European modern art?Summarize the habit of the Nazi elite in regard to collecting art – why did they participate? What were their goals? Did they all have the same goals?Explain what happened to Austrian Jews both before and right after the Anschluss. (How had life changed for them? What new rules were there that they had to now deal with?)Chapter 3: Purchase and Plunder“The Warsaw Royal Castle was rebuilt later, for the same reason it was destroyed: the Polish people couldn’t live without it.”Context in history: On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, targeting civilians, toppling monuments, and destroying historic buildings, fire units burned Poland’s libraries floor-by-floor. The Warsaw Royal Castle was a symbol to the Polish people: a source of history, power, hope, and ethnicity. Why was the castle destroyed and what was the reaction of the Polish people?What reaction did you have to the images of the Vernichtungskommando units using flamethrowers to incinerate entire buildings? Why did they do this? Was this important strategically or emotionally?Chapter 4: Krakow“The Leonardo had a boot mark on it”Context in history: Museum staff at the Louvre prepared to evacuate the galleries to castles outside Paris, something they had been practicing since 1938 in anticipation of a German invasion. List several challenges facing the staff at the Louvre ahead of the German invasion. How did they meet these challenges?What does the determination of the staff at the Louvre to save the artwork say about the nationalism of the French people and the value they placed on the artwork?Chapter 5: Total Chaos“We can’t make amends for the millions of lives that were taken, but we can do something simple, return something stolen and confer a little humanity back on all of us.” Context in history: The Germans knew that French art was being stored throughout the countryside, but they didn’t go after it immediately. They stole from the Jews first, and then began to go after the state collections. Describe the transportation and storage of French art as the evacuation began. Do you think Rose Valland was a hero for keeping records of all the paintings stolen from Jews and where they were sent?How does the act of returning a painting “confer a little humanity”?Chapter 6: Furniture Operation“The goal was material, but it was also intended to erase a people and their memory.”Context in history: A slave labor camp was established in the center of Paris where Jewish slaves were forced to sort, clean, repair, and pack stolen Jewish property, which was then shipped to German families. What was the Mobel-Aktion and how did it impact the citizens of Paris?Chapter 7: State Hermitage Museum“People lived by candlelight, if they hadn’t already tried to eat their candles”Context in history: The State Hermitage Museum in Leningrad had four times the number or artworks to evacuate compared to the Louvre. In October, Hitler ordered his generals to wipe the city off the face of the earth. Compare the evacuation of the State Hermitage Museum to the evacuation of the Louvre. Describe the heroism and sacrifice of the staff of the Hermitage Museum. Why do you think they were willing to do this?Chapter 8: War“I wasn’t concerned about the monastery … I was concerned about the people who were shooting at me.”Context in history: As the U.S. moved closer to war, a group of museum officials at the National Gallery of Art warned FDR of a grave problem facing Allied armies: saving Europe without further destroying the culture that gave it its identity. What was the purpose of the Roberts Commission?Why was Rome spared the destruction many other Italian cities saw?How did the Florentine city fathers try to protect their artworks?How do the opinions of the men ordered to destroy the Florence rail yard compare with those involved at Monte Cassino? Chapter 9: Monument Men“To some of our fighters, who had seen their buddies killed … why should they worry about that?”Context in history: The Roberts Commission had persuaded the army to take on art experts who would serve near the front line and would try to save and protect monuments and art. Explain how the Monuments Men operated.How did local people react to the Monuments Men?As the Germans retreated, what was their last act in Florence? How did the Florentine people react?Chapter 10: Violated“They committed an outrage on the memory, on the ashes, on all that is holy in our country.”Context in history: In a salt mine in central Germany, Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley were called in to tour the biggest find yet – 400 tons of art from the great museums of Berlin. What did the Red Army discover as they chased the Germans out of Russia?How did the Monuments Men compare to Stalin’s Trophy Brigade?Chapter 11: Final Weeks“We had one whole room filled with Torahs, stacked one on top of the other. At this point we knew what had happened in the camps. You coulnd’t pass that room without shuddering, at thinking of all the people that died.”Context in history: In the last days of the war, Hitler still fantasized about his plans for a Fuhrer Museum. Discuss the problems concerning the returning of Jewish art. ................
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