An Historical Overview of the Deliberative Process of the Law “Gesetz zur Bewahrung der Jugend vor Schund- und Schmutzschriften” (1926) in the Weimar Republic

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  • ヴァイマル共和国における「俗悪図書から青少年を保護する法律」（1926）の審議過程の再検討
  • ヴァイマル キョウワコク ニ オケル 「 ゾクアク トショ カラ セイショウネン オ ホゴ スル ホウリツ 」(1926)ノ シンギ カテイ ノ サイケントウ

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<p>This paper aims to clarify the process of the enactment of the law “Gesetz zur Bewahrung der Jugend vor Schund- und Schmutzschriften” (GBJSS).</p><p>The GBJSS law restricted the distribution of books deemed vulgar in order to protect the youth. Although previous studies have interpreted this law as an instrument of state, or conservative ideological control, they did not examine the content of the debate on reading and youth protection. This paper thus analyzes the details of the discussion in the deliberative process.</p><p>The results are as follows:</p><p>(1) The GBJSS was enacted to educate young people, and the Weimar Council agreed on this point.</p><p>(2) The debate on how to regulate vulgar books was contentious, with leftist parties objecting to the idea, fearing that it could be used for political censorship.</p><p>(3) Both left- and right-wing parties generally shared the view of "reading" that posits a single line of influence between vulgar books and youth. This view of "reading" was based on the assumption that Goethe and other German classics were good books.</p><p>(4) Capitalism, which led to a mass publishing society that disseminates vulgar books, was the hypothetical—even as a statement—enemy. This point was shared by both right-wing and left-wing political parties.</p>

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