The Arts As A Weapon of War ─ Britain and the Shaping of National Morale in World War II

In 1834, Lord Melbourne spoke the words that epitomized the British government's attitude towards its own involvement in the arts: "God help the minister that meddles with Art." One hundred years later, however, with the onset of World War II, that attitude changed dramatically when "cultural policy" became a key element of the domestic front. The Arts as a Weapon of War traces the evolution of this policy from the creation of the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, in 1939, to the drafting of the Arts Council's constitution in 1945. From the improvement of the National Gallery to Myra Hess's legendary concerts during the blitz, Jorn Weingartner provides a fascinating account of the powerful policy shift that laid the foundations for the modern relationship between the government and the arts.

JORN WEINGARTNER carried out his research at the University of Hamburg and is an Officer of the German National Academic Foundation.