Subsidy was not invented by the Nazis, they did embrace it

Apartheid activist Martin Bosma started talking about it during one of his many hilarious appearances in the second chamber, but, as is often the case, was wrong. He said art subsidies were an invention of the Nazis and therefore pernicious. We knew better, because researcher Benien van Berkel is thorough and deals with facts. Her PhD research shows that the German occupier at most embraced the invention of the art subsidy system.

Presumably because they knew it would be good for the PR of whatever government. And in case it is contaminated, it is always less contaminated than the motorways and the Volkswagens queuing on them.

Follows here the text of the press release, which we reproduce - uncritically as always - in full:

 The Dutch cultural policy with its system of art subsidies, currently under severe pressure from the Rutte cabinet's cuts, was created during the war years. National Socialist Dr Tobie Goedewaagen, appointed by the Germans as secretary-general of the Department of Public Information and Arts, spearheaded a fundamental change in the course of government involvement in art and culture in the Netherlands. He significantly improved the socio-economic position of the arts and artists. This policy was adopted by successive governments after the war. The influence of artists was negligible in this upheaval. These are the main conclusions of a study conducted at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, on which theatre marketer and historian Benien van Berkel will receive her PhD on 9 March this year.

In Goedewaagen's vision, art served the people. To give the arts a central place in society, he increased the arts budget from 172,000 guilders in 1940 to two and a half million guilders in 1943. Most of this was for subsidies to companies and orchestras, and for greatly increased salaries and fees for actors, musicians, visual artists and writers. This money was accepted by almost the entire art sector and by all artists. Goedewaagen's most important achievement was the establishment of the Kultuurkamer, which almost all Dutch artists joined, even though they knew it excluded their Jewish colleagues and Goedewaagen did not prevent the deportation of Jewish artists.

After the war, the Ministry of OK&W adopted the art budget from the occupation years, including the idea that art had a function as the 'cement of society'. The new policy led to the subsidising of orchestras and theatre companies, to the purchase of works of art and the commissioning of visual artists, to low ticket prices so that the masses could also enjoy art, to the artistic education of youth and to the promotion of Dutch cinema. The idea of promoting culture in society has not been missing from any coalition agreement since then, including that of the current Rutte government.