Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists of the twentieth century whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include The Threepenny Opera and, while exiled from Germany and living in the USA, such masterpieces as The Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.Anthony Phelan is an Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, the University of Oxford, UK.Tom Kuhn is Professor of Twentieth-Century German Literature at the University of Oxford, UK.

Throughout the book, Brecht also sets up a Caesar whose political life and business life are indistinguishable, laying the groundwork for a larger argument about the interconnectedness of these realms. In a letter from 1937, he said he wanted this work to show, ‘how democratic measures can be exploited financially’ (Brecht 1990, 269). This is one of the major contributions of the book and gives it a use-value today, especially if we view it against the backdrop of the current U.S. election. Brecht’s account shows that even where democratic structures exist, politics tend toward the machinations of the rich.

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists of the twentieth century whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include The Threepenny Opera and, while exiled from Germany and living in the USA, such masterpieces as The Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.Anthony Phelan is an Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, the University of Oxford, UK.Tom Kuhn is Professor of Twentieth-Century German Literature at the University of Oxford, UK.

Throughout the book, Brecht also sets up a Caesar whose political life and business life are indistinguishable, laying the groundwork for a larger argument about the interconnectedness of these realms. In a letter from 1937, he said he wanted this work to show, ‘how democratic measures can be exploited financially’ (Brecht 1990, 269). This is one of the major contributions of the book and gives it a use-value today, especially if we view it against the backdrop of the current U.S. election. Brecht’s account shows that even where democratic structures exist, politics tend toward the machinations of the rich.

Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is acknowledged as one of the great dramatists of the twentieth century whose plays, work with the Berliner Ensemble and writing have had a considerable influence on the theatre. His landmark plays include The Threepenny Opera and, while exiled from Germany and living in the USA, such masterpieces as The Life of Galileo, Mother Courage and The Caucasian Chalk Circle.Anthony Phelan is an Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, the University of Oxford, UK.Tom Kuhn is Professor of Twentieth-Century German Literature at the University of Oxford, UK.

Throughout the book, Brecht also sets up a Caesar whose political life and business life are indistinguishable, laying the groundwork for a larger argument about the interconnectedness of these realms. In a letter from 1937, he said he wanted this work to show, ‘how democratic measures can be exploited financially’ (Brecht 1990, 269). This is one of the major contributions of the book and gives it a use-value today, especially if we view it against the backdrop of the current U.S. election. Brecht’s account shows that even where democratic structures exist, politics tend toward the machinations of the rich.