Totalitäre Architektur, by Helmut Spieker (Karl Krämer 1981), is a German study of the relation between authoritarian regimes and architectural design.The book’s themes are “Feststellungen und Bekenntnisse” (Theoretical observations and declarations), “Programme und Ergebnisse” (Programmes and outcomes), “Bauten und Entwürfe” (Buildings and design), and “Einzel- und Prachtprojekte” (Individual showcase projects). The book looks at figures and movements including Adolf Loos, Aldo Rossi, Le Corbusier, Boullée, Ledoux, Bruno Zevi, and Philip Johnson, and touches on fascism, dictatorship, neoclassicism, revolutionary architecture, as well as socialist architecture
The text is in German. The book is richly illustrated with black-and-white architectural drawings.
Our current copy is still usable, although the volume has split into three sections. No pages seem to be missing, though, and the pages have no markings except for the previous owner’s signature on the back of the front cover. The glueing of the binding is broken, but the remaining sections are solid. The covers show some minor traces of shelf wear and use.
