| Abstract | This article advances collective memory scholarship by examining ways in which changes in societal representations are tied to changes in mass perceptions and expectations. The specific case involves an examination of West German mass culture related to the 20 July 1944 attempt to assassinate Hitler. The data includes the survey of 230 newspaper articles, 22 television programs, and 45 films from 1945 to 1999. This societal level data is compared against public opinion polling data, movie attendance figures, and television viewer surveys. Collective memory scholars have successfully mapped out changes in societal representations and described the context within which authors created them, yet the third side of the memory-meaning triad, audience reception, has tended to be weaker. Scholars can overcome this weakness by working with popular culture and examining patterns of mass consumption.
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