Conspiracy theories - then and now

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Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the opening ceremony for the special exhibition "Conspiracy Theories - Past and Present" in Dalheim Monastery.

Conspiracy theories - then and now was the title of a special exhibition organized by the Dalheim Monastery Foundation . LWL State Museum for Monastery Culture in the former Dalheim Monastery (Paderborn district) from May 18, 2019 to March 22, 2020. The special exhibition examined the origins, function and spread of conspiracy theories and showed why they have retained their fascination and effectiveness to this day. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened the exhibition as patron on May 17, 2019. Steinmeier's speech at the opening of the exhibition was widely discussed both in the press and on social media.

exhibition

On around 1,200 square meters of exhibition space, conspiracy theories - then and now - led through 900 years of the history of conspiracy theories. Beginning in the Middle Ages , the exhibition followed the traces of exclusive communities in religion and politics to the present day and showed how conspiracy thinking affects the course of history. The exhibition was divided into six thematic units:

  • In league with the devil - conspiracy theories in the late Middle Ages
  • Against Throne and Altar - Conspiracy Theories in the Early Modern Age
  • The Search for the Guilty Party - Conspiracy Theories in the Interwar Period
  • Fight against the "public enemy" - conspiracy theories in dictatorships of the 20th century
  • The Confrontation of Political Systems - Cold War Conspiracy Theories
  • Lost Trust - Conspiracy Theories Today

Exhibits (selection)

Conspiracy theories - then and now showed around 250 objects, including documents of contemporary history, paintings, woodcuts and everyday objects. More than 55 national and international lenders made the exhibits available.

The section "In league with the devil" showed exhibits on various conspiracy theories in the late Middle Ages, which are mainly religiously based: Among them were an indictment from 1308-1310 against the Knights Templar , who allegedly made themselves punishable by allegedly heretical rites (Lender: Archives nationales , Paris) and a painting on the sacrilege of the host, which shows Jews cutting up a host and thus tormenting the body of Christ again (lender: Oberhausmuseum , Passau). A leg screw from the 17th century illustrated the instruments of torture that alleged witches and wizards were used to force confessions (lender: Stadtmuseum Lemgo).

Exhibition room of the special exhibition "Conspiracy Theories - Past and Present" in the Dalheim Monastery Foundation. LWL State Museum for Monastery Culture, illustrations: stab in the back, Baphomet, photo: LWL / Alexandra Buterus
Exhibition room on the topic "The Search for the Guilty"

Sculptures, portraits, leaflets and publications in the section “Against the Throne and Altar” document the alleged papist conspiracy according to which the Jesuits are said to have planned the murder of King Charles II. A fictional report by Titus Oates from 1679 was shown, which increases the credibility of this theory. Secret societies such as the Freemasons and Illuminati were also the focus of this topic. One of the last three remaining orders of the Illuminati could be found as an exhibit in the exhibition (lender: German Freemasons Museum , Bayreuth).

“The Search for Guilty Party” thematized conspiracy theories that aim to explain the causes of the First World War and the reasons for the German defeat. This includes, for example, the stab in the back legend , which the museum depicted in various publications. Between the world wars, the anti-Semitic and nationalist right used the protocols of the Elders of Zion for their propaganda. As a central exhibit, the exhibition showed a working copy of the protocols from the estate of Sergej Nilus , writer and editor of the protocols in Russia (lender: private) for the first time.

The department “Fight the 'Public Enemy'” dealt with the appropriation of beliefs in conspiracies by political ideologies: the posters, leaflets, teaching materials and publications shown propagate a world Jewish conspiracy. In the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin accused alleged fascist and capitalist agents of conspiring against him. Manipulated photos and commissioned paintings illustrate this.

Against the grain According to the barcode conspiracy, scan codes on products emit negative energies, with the help of which a “secret government” wants to gradually reduce the world population. Aids like this anti-interference pen are supposed to neutralize the purchased products and render the code harmless. Anti-interference pen for barcodes, Dalheim Monastery Foundation. LWL State Museum for Monastery Culture. Photo: LWL / Ansgar Hoffmann, www.hoffmannfoto.de
Exhibit: The anti-interference pen is supposed to neutralize barcodes

The subject area “The Confrontation of Political Systems” dealt with conspiracy theories in the Cold War . The comic entitled “Is This Tomorrow. America Under Communism “describes the fear of a communist takeover in America (loan: Tim Mörsch). The brochure “Halt Amikäfer. Documents on the Colorado potato beetle drop ”, which addresses the potato beetle conspiracy.

The last section, "Lost Trust", dealt with a wide variety of contemporary conspiracy theories. These included objects relating to Holocaust denial, the alleged climate fraud and the alleged vaccination conspiracy. An elevator motor from the World Trade Center in New York commemorates the attack on September 11, 2001 (lender: Foundation House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn). In addition, numerous so-called "antidotes" for harmful substances have been exhibited, around which various conspiracy theories have grown. This included an anti-interference pen, which is supposed to protect against harmful barcodes, or an orgonite chembuster on the monastery premises, which supposedly keeps harmful chemtrails away.

Scientific Advisory Board

The special exhibition Conspiracy Theories - Past and Present was accompanied by a scientific advisory board. It consisted of historians, philosophers, psychologists and museum professionals. The advisory board included: Sebastian Bartoschek , Markus Friedrich , Marian Füssel , Michael Hagemeister , Kirsten John-Stucke, Arkadj Perlov and Gaby Sonnabend.

Accompanying program

An extensive supporting program was part of the special exhibition in Dalheim Monastery . Scientific lectures deepened and expanded aspects of the exhibition. The museum educational program for the exhibition offers school classes links to the skills orientation required in curricula.

A science show was also held in cooperation with the Goldener Aluhut gUG . A reading festival prepared the topic of conspiracy theories in a family-friendly manner. In addition, an escape room was set up in cooperation with Escape Nienburg , which ties in with both the special exhibition and the history of the former Dalheim monastery.

Catalog

Conspiracy theories - then and now . Catalog for the special exhibition of the Dalheim Monastery Foundation . LWL State Museum for Monastery Culture from May 18, 2019 to March 22, 2020. Published by the Dalheim Monastery Foundation and Dr. Ingo Grabowsky. Ardey-Verlag, Münster 2019. ISBN 978-3-87023-442-3

Sponsors (list)

Sponsors of the Escape Room:

  • Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Opening of the exhibition "Conspiracy Theories", Dalheim Monastery, May 17, 2019 , accessed on August 21, 2019.
  2. ↑ Steinmeier calls for the fight against conspiracy theories, published on May 17 , 2019 , accessed on February 20, 2020.
  3. ^ Unreliable reason, commentary by Lothar Müller , accessed on August 21, 2019.