Fear and Misery of the Third Reich

Collection "Works 15".

French text by Maurice REGNAUT and André STEIGER.

"The twenty-four scenes that make up the play paint a portrait of German society from Hitler's rise to power until the eve of war, without, however, following a strict chronology. Brecht drew directly from eyewitness accounts and newspaper excerpts to compose this text, which shows the deep roots of the Nazi regime in all spheres of the German people. We see, in turn, the bourgeoisie, the medical profession, the justice system, children, prisoners, etc., evolving in the face of the regime. The Spy is one of the twenty-four scenes that make up this play. It tells the story of a German couple who are convinced that their child has gone to denounce them to the Gestapo because the father, though patriotic, has just expressed some criticism of the regime. This scene very well expresses the climate of suspicion, the policy of denunciation, the atmosphere of paranoia and indoctrination that reigned under the Third Reich".