The German Military Propaganda Department Belgium (Propaganda-Abteilung Belgien) vis-à-vis "Cultures of Spectacle" in occupied Belgium (1940-1944)
Résumé
During the Second World War, Belgium and Northern France were placed under the supervision of a German Military Administration with a complex hierarchical structure and numerous departments and services, each of which was responsible for controlling or influencing a particular aspect of life under German occupation. The German Military Propaganda Department Belgium (Propaganda-Abteilung Belgien, PAB) was tasked to control the media and
to oversee every cultural aspect of occupied Belgium and Northern France. Mainly composed of German specialists, the offices of the PAB had a significant influence over diverse sectors such as cinema, theatre, literature, music, and visual arts. Several scholars have looked into some activities of the PAB, but so far there has been no overarching and comparative analysis of the aims and the methods of the PAB. This article partially fills this void by shedding light on the PAB’s policy towards “cultures of spectacle”, with a focus on theatre, cinema, concerts, and cabarets.