History BannedInChina / Germany

* The Creator/LaurelAndHardy film ''Film/TheBohemianGirl'' (1934) was banned as UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} were on the Nazis' list of undesirable peoples who were exterminated under Hitler's rule.

* Although Hitler loved ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' enough to own a personal copy and draw FanArt based on it, the film did not receive an official German release during his lifetime. It was one of fifty American films that Goebbels purchased the rights to in 1938, but it wasn't released due to growing anti-American sentiment. ''Snow White'' was finally released in UsefulNotes/WestGermany in 1950.

** Minister of Propaganda (and czar of the Nazi Germany film industry) Joseph Goebbels had Creator/LeniRiefenstahl's ''Sieg des Glaubens'' (Victory of the Faith) banned in 1934. The reason for this was the prominent role the SA (the infamous "Brown Shirts", paramilitary units of the Nazi party during its political ascent) had in it. The SA was purged of its leadership during the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934 and the organization's role was considerably reduced, so works showing them prominently (and especially their leader Ernst Röhm, who was executed during the purge) were not welcome anymore. All copies were believed to have been destroyed but one survived.

** Goebbels commissioned a film about the sinking of the RMS ''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]'', to be used as anti-British propaganda. But when the Nazi ''[[Film/{{Titanic1943}} Titanic]]'' was completed, Goebbels decided a movie that featured terrified crowds running around in a panic before getting killed in a tragically helpless situation was no longer a good idea in a Germany that was getting pounded by Allied bombing. He banned it, and the film wasn't screened in Germany until 1949.

** A 1939 musical about Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky, [[HaveAGayOldTime ironically titled]] ''It Was a Gay Ballnight'', was banned in Germany after they declared war on Soviet Union due to its positive portrayal of Russia and Russian culture.
* When the U.S. entered the war in 1941, the Nazis decided to just ban all American films and be done with it. UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's girlfriend Eva Braun, who loved American films (she even once {{cosplay}}ed as Creator/AlJolson of all people, with {{blackface}} and all), was allowed to continue watching them in private.

Of all countries in UsefulNotes/{{Europe}}, UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} has the strictest censorship laws, ranked after Australia and before Cuba, standing out as unusually prudish compared to many countries, which is rather lax (ironically, Germans are seen as exemplifying the EuropeansAreKinky stereotype by many Americans). Most of the examples relate to the [[NoSwastikas censorship of Nazi symbols]] as prescribed by [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_section_86a section 86a]] of the German Criminal Code. A further small number of bans were done probably due to MoralGuardians crying out for violence: to this day, the Germans have a lot of movies extremely stringently restricted to only adults.

** The Creator/{{Capcom}} UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}'' and ''VideoGame/GunSmoke'' had censored versions made for the German market (the former was retitled ''Space Invasion''). The German version of ''Capcom Generations'' compilation simply omitted the fourth disc containing ''Commando'', ''Gun.Smoke'' and ''Mercs''.

Of all countries in Europe, Germany has the strictest censorship laws, ranked after Australia and before Cuba, standing out as unusually prudish compared to the rest of Europe, which is rather lax (ironically, Germans are seen as exemplifying the EuropeansAreKinky stereotype by many Americans). Most of the examples relate to the [[NoSwastikas censorship of Nazi symbols]] as prescribed by [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_section_86a section 86a]] of the German Criminal Code. A further small number of bans were done probably due to MoralGuardians crying out for violence: to this day, the Germans have a lot of movies extremely stringently restricted to only adults.

* ''The Mad Dog of Europe'', a film about anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany written by Herman J. Mankiewicz (of future ''Film/CitizenKane'' fame) and produced by Sam Jaffe, was outright canceled due to the aforementioned chilling effect. As Mankiewicz was making the film through an independent studio that didn't do business in Europe, banning it in Germany would have no effect, and so Georg Gyssling, a Nazi diplomat sent to Hollywood to work with the studios as an adviser and ensure that their films would be acceptable for German distribution, attempted to get both the [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Office]] and the Anti-Defamation League to stop production on the film, the former by telling them that allowing the film's release would lead to a blanket ban on ''all'' American films in Germany and the latter by saying that it might provoke an anti-Semitic backlash. Ultimately, Mankiewicz and Jaffe failed to find funding due to investors and studios afraid of being banned from Germany, and the film was never made.

* ''Film/TheTestamentOfDrMabuse'' was banned because Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels felt it would undercut the audience's confidence in its political leaders. He called the film a menace to public health and safety and said it "showed that an extremely dedicated group of people are perfectly capable of overthrowing any state with violence."

* On 13 December 2022, the fanfiction site Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn was "indexed" in Germany due to "child pornography content", temporarily removing it from Google search results for German IP addresses. In January 2023, the ban was lifted as a result of administrative errors.

* Along with some other Western European countries like France and Italy, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyRainbowRoadtrip'' is still banned in Germany for an unknown reason.

* Along with some other Western European countries like France and Italy, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyRainbowRoadtrip'' is still banned in Germany for an unknown reason.

* Germany classifies all games (including video games) as children's toys. Among other things, it [[NoSwastikas bans the depiction of swastikas]] and other Nazi-related stuff in non-educational media, under a law prohibiting the use of symbols of anti-constitutional groups unless it's for historical or educational reasons. Thankfully changed since 2018, as a court ruling changed the interpretation of video games to "art" (same as movies and any form of TV) which allows depiction of Nazi symbols in a historical, comedic or otherwise artistic context.

* ''Film/AfricaAddio'' was unofficially banned after its distributor pulled it from West Germany following violent protests by the Socialist German Students' Union.

** ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', filled with Hitler posters and Nazi symbols, was banned, with only the {{UsefulNotes/Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}} version of the game being released in Germany, although heavily modified.[[note]]These changes weren't exclusive to Germany, as all versions of ''Wolfenstein 3D'' on the SNES have these changes, and the Japanese version has even ''more''.[[/note]] For ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' and ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', Creator/IdSoftware made some changes to the German version to get a release, including [[NoSwastikas removal of swastikas]]. Also, the two SecretLevel homages to ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' were removed entirely from the German release of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II''; if the player attempts to access the levels with the level select cheat code, the game will crash. The ban was eventually rescinded in 2019 following a [[https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/report-wolfenstein-3d-removed-from-german-ban-list landmark court ruling]], but only in 2022 did the game receive a rating in Germany allowing it to be sold in the country.

[[/folder]]

** The entire Nimdok section of ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' was removed in the German release due to it being set in a concentration camp. This made the game {{unwinnable}}, as the final part of the game requires all four characters.

** ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', filled with Hitler posters and Nazi symbols, was banned. For ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' and ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', Creator/IdSoftware made some changes to the German version to get a release, including [[NoSwastikas removal of swastikas]]. Also, the two SecretLevel homages to ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' were removed entirely from the German release of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II''; if the player attempts to access the levels with the level select cheat code, the game will crash. The ban was eventually rescinded in 2019 following a [[https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/report-wolfenstein-3d-removed-from-german-ban-list landmark court ruling]], but only in 2022 did the game receive a rating in Germany allowing it to be sold in the country.

** ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', filled with Hitler posters and Nazi symbols, was banned. For ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' and ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', Creator/IdSoftware made some changes to the German version to get a release, including [[NoSwastikas removal of swastikas]]. Also, the two SecretLevel homages to ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' were removed entirely from the German release of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} II''; if the player attempts to access the levels with the level select cheat code, the game will crash. The ban was eventually rescinded in 2019 following a [[https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/report-wolfenstein-3d-removed-from-german-ban-list landmark court ruling]].

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Of all countries in Europe, Germany has the strictest censorship laws, ranked after Australia and before Cuba, standing out as unusually prudish compared to the rest of Europe, which is rather lax (ironically, Germans are seen as exemplifying the EuropeansAreKinky stereotype by many Americans). Most of the examples relate to the [[NoSwastikas censorship of Nazi symbols]] as prescribed by [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_section_86a section 86a]] of the German Criminal Code. A further small number of bans were done probably due to MoralGuardians crying out for violence: to this day, the Germans have a lot of movies extremely stringently restricted to only adults.

* ''Literature/AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'' was banned during Hitler's regime for portraying war as a pointless waste of human life and for its perceived anti-German messages. It was banned in Austria too for the same reasons.

* The Nazis banned jazz and swing for being "negro music". The film ''Film/SwingKids'' is about the youths who defied this ban.

* The Volkswagen Group is sufficiently sensitive about the fact that the company was founded in part by Hitler that they still object to Volkswagens being depicted as weapons of war, hence the [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries live-action film]] incarnation of [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Bumblebee]] being a Camaro until the release of ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' in 2018, where he was finally depicted as a Beetle like his [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne first-generation]] counterpart. General Motors wrote [[ProductPlacement a big check]] to complete the change to a Camaro. The problem also arose when Hasbro wanted to make a new version of Bumblebee for the Alternators toy line, which consisted of robots that transformed into accurate (and licensed) 1:24 scale replicas of current cars. However, in 2014, this was all finally changed with the release of Masterpiece Bumblebee, with an officially licensed Beetle mode.
* Posters for ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' were edited to remove swastikas as per their NoSwastikas (or anything pertaining to the Nazi party) rule. Note that this is despite the film being about a team of Jewish heroes who fight Nazis where the Nazis are very clearly the villains. One of VW's sister brands Porsche, also joined in the franchise with [[Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts Rise of the Beasts]] having Mirage turn into the Porsche 911.

* Volkswagen is sufficiently sensitive about the fact that the company was founded in part by Hitler that they still object to Volkswagens being depicted as weapons of war, hence the [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries live-action film]] incarnation of [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Bumblebee]] being a Camaro until the release of ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' in 2018, where he was finally depicted as a Beetle like his [[Franchise/TransformersGenerationOne first-generation]] counterpart. General Motors wrote [[ProductPlacement a big check]] to complete the change to a Camaro. The problem also arose when Hasbro wanted to make a new version of Bumblebee for the Alternators toy line, which consisted of robots that transformed into accurate (and licensed) 1:24 scale replicas of current cars. However, in 2014, this was all finally changed with the release of Masterpiece Bumblebee, with an officially licensed Beetle mode.
* Posters for ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' were edited to remove swastikas as per their NoSwastikas (or anything pertaining to the Nazi party) rule. Note that this is despite the film being about a team of Jewish heroes who fight Nazis where the Nazis are very clearly the villains.

* Twenty minutes were cut from all German-dubbed releases of ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'' to remove scenes with the Nazis. This included home video releases.

* ''Film/DasTestamentDesDoktorMabuse'' was banned because Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels felt it would undercut the audience's confidence in its political leaders. He called the film a menace to public health and safety and said it "showed that an extremely dedicated group of people are perfectly capable of overthrowing any state with violence."

Of all countries in Europe, Germany has the strictest censorship laws, ranked after Australia and before Cuba, standing out as unusually prudish compared to the rest of Europe, which is rather lax (ironically, Germans are seen as exemplifying the EuropeansAreKinky stereotype by many Americans). Most of the examples relate to the censorship of Nazi symbols as prescribed by [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_section_86a section 86a]] of the German Criminal Code. A further small number of bans were done probably due to MoralGuardians crying out for violence: to this day, the Germans have a lot of movies extremely stringently restricted to only adults.

Of all countries in Europe, Germany has the strictest censorship laws, ranked after Australia and before Cuba, standing out as unusually prudish compared to the rest of Europe, which is rather lax. Most of the examples relate to the censorship of Nazi symbols as prescribed by [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch_section_86a section 86a]] of the German Criminal Code. A further small number of bans were done probably due to MoralGuardians crying out for violence: to this day, the Germans have a lot of movies extremely stringently restricted to only adults.

** The German-made pacifistic World War I film ''Film/Westfront1918'' was similarly protested against by the Nazis, had screenings disturbed by them and was eventually pulled from theaters.