Dada Values During The First World War, The Weimar Republic, And The 1920’s

Many people respond to events through art. Dada, a movement based on nonsense and surrealism, is one example of this. Beginning in Zurich during WWI, Dadaists related the randomness of their art to the absurdity of the war, effectively providing an outlet for the artists’ frustrations and a mechanism to spread their values of newfound freedom and modernity. Though “Dada” typically refers to the drawings and portraits of this time period, this movement’s impact extended beyond art; the values and motivations of the Dadaists continued to motivate Germany’s culture as time progressed.

Dada was a part of the dramatic demonstrations by artists during WWI, assisted in modernizing the ideology of the Weimar Republic, and reimagined the modern woman in the late 1920’s by prioritizing the values of modernity and freedom that attracted attention and spread the revolution of Dada. Toward the end of WWI, Dadaists capitalized on dramatic nonsense as an outlet for their frustrations at fighting a war without legitimate cause. While the government continued to emphasize the fight for honor, pride, and masculinity, the Dadaists began to understand that, in the words of Joyce Tsai, the war started because “some Archduke” was murdered. These artists were quickly disillusioned with the idea of fighting for vague principles, so they retaliated through art. Contrary to popular belief, “Dada is not a style, but an embrace of tactic”. In order to most effectively communicate with the general population of Germany, Dadaists used obvious tactics to gain attention and produce more change.

Hugo Ball is one of the most famous examples of this form of expression. To perform at a cabaret, Ball dressed in a cylindrical costume with oven mitts over his hands. This costume appears to make no sense, especially with Ball shouting “tumba ba- umf / kusagauma / ba – umf,” the closing lines from his poem “Karawane”. Though “Karawane” consisted of rhythm and sounds that replicated poetry, it still lacked the vital component of meaning. Ball even included the common syntactical choice of repetition to convey importance in certain syllables, almost disregarding the nonsense of the pattern. Similar to how Ball’s costume and the gibberish in his poem contained the pieces of a valid performance, the fight for “honor” was ridiculous despite the components of death tolls and artillery. In addition to mimicking the absurdity of war over one murder, the outlandish costume also completed a different — but equally vital — goal; it caught the audience’s attention. Sharing messages in dramatic forms exaggerated the impact Dada had during WWI.

Immediately after the war, Dadaism continued to spread, revolutionizing culture across Europe, with a particularly strong presence in Berlin and the Weimar Republic. After Germany had to pay reparations to the other countries involved in WWI, the German Mark lost value to the point that the Mark was better kindling than currency. During this economic collapse, it was important for Dadaists to push the community to look toward an improved, modern future. This translated to the values of democracy, freedom, and modernity that have become practically synonymous with the Weimar Republic. The Weimar Constitution demonstrates this dedication to democracy and freedom by dedicating the entirety of “Chapter II: The Fundamental Rights and Duties of the Germans”. After continuing to fight a war without belief in the cause, Germans wanted to regain control of their lives. This Constitution responded to the weak and unorganized system of German Empire by supplying more freedoms to individuals, relying on the same revolutionary principles of Dadaism.

The Dawes plan was another innovative and modern solution for Germany implemented to counteract their economic struggles. This plan was a formalized deal between Germany and the United States that allowed Germany to take up to four years before fully repaying them for WWI. Germany’s government considered their situation through a modern lens, finally deciding to accept the agreement rather than attempting to solve the problem with old — and generally unstable — systems. While the government aimed to stabilize Germany and increase their world standing as a country, film directors in this time similarly revolutionized their approaches to film to discover a new niche of success. A primary example of this was the film “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” by Robert Wiene.

Directors in this time felt an increased freedom in their ability to focus on the modern themes of insanity and horror, primarily by varying light and shadow. These effects were cutting-edge at the time, much like Dada portraits. Similar to Dada, women in the 1920’s reacted to the complex restraints of their lives in dramatic forms that caught society’s attention. After so many soldiers were lost in WWI, individuals felt a drive to enjoy life without repression, fearlessly seeking immediate pleasures and indulgences. In addition to the general freedoms encountered in daily life, Germans began to discuss and admire the human form. Society viewed public nudity as a route to “wholeness,” even endorsing nude yoga as a stress-relieving pastime. This sudden lack of shame can be seen as a response to the imminent threat of death that accompanied WWI, as well as the political and economic instability in Weimar — patience was no longer a priority in this time of uncertainty. An emphasis was instead placed on living without cation, restrictions or limitations, in this case obliterating the social norm of wearing clothes in public.

A “new woman” was also created during this time of promiscuity, uninhibited by social constraints. She smoked, drank, cursed, had premarital sex, and asserted herself with power. Though this new identity was met with strong disapproval from the church and conservative members of society, it can be seen as an example of the freedoms and modernity involved in the 1920’s. Similar to Dada, these women reacted to the complex restraints of their lives in dramatic forms that caught society’s attention. Freedom and modernity were strong motivators to Dadaists during WWI, and continued to direct societal values through the 1920’s. As Germany’s hardships quickly multiplied, citizens responded in significant ways to alert the government of its need to change. The tactic of utilizing freedom to create flashy presentations in reaction to the previous suppression of rights was a common factor between these three time periods. While Dada is most known for its revolutionary style of art, it also had a great impact on the values and cultures of Germany during WWI, through the Weimar Republic, and into the 1920’s.