Cultural Patronage and the State

The focus of my remarks will focus on the history of cultural undertakings, rather than the methods and topics of cultural history. I will plan to talk about what German (central European) cultural policies in the 20th century teach us about the perils and promise of state support for cultural activity. Like human societies themselves, cultural communities survive in three ways--through traditions, through the marketplace, and through fiat (e.g. patronage of powerful people). Maintaining a balance between these seems desirable, but how do we assess what that balance should be?