Propaganda

• Nazi Reign of Terror

  1933-39
• Propaganda


  A form of psychological manipulation, usually to further a political agenda. It involves the promotion of specific ideas or views to persuade others that your 'side of the story' is correct.
• Propaganda is "reductive" and emotive in nature - you reduce complex ideas into a simple form (image and/or slogan) and repeat over and over again
• Nazi slogans


  • The Jews are our Misfortune
  • Strength through Joy
  • Work will set you free
• Hitler: '"Effective propaganda must limit its points of a few and these points must be repeated until even the last member of the audience understands what is meant by them."'
• The Nazis were master propagandists, especially because they realised the power of the mass media
• Media used by Nazis for propaganda

  • radio
  • newspapers
  • public gatherings
  • films and books
  • music
  • symbolism and iconography
• Recurring themes in Nazi propaganda

  • anti-Semitic - Jews to blame for all Germany's problems
  • anti-Communist, anti-Socialist, anti-Democratic
  • pro-Nazi
  • pan-Germanic, nationalistic, militaristic
  • Hitler as a Messianic figure
• Goebbels: '"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it."'
• Goebbels


  Nazi propaganda was led by Dr (Paul) Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda from 1933 to 1945
• In 1933, the Nazis took control of all communication channels. All journalists, writers, and artists were required to register with one of the Ministry's chambers for the press, fine arts, music, theater, film, literature or radio and could only be published with Nazi approval - "un-German" books, films and music were banned
• Der Stürmer


  The weekly Nazi newspaper devoted primarily to anti-Semitic propaganda and promoting hatred against the Jews
• The motto of Der Stürmer was "The Jews are our misfortune" and it was widely ready by the lower classes. In 1927, it sold about 27,000 copies every week; by 1935, its circulation had reached around 480,000
• Julius Streicher was condemned to death at the Nuremburg Trials for crimes against humanity for inciting hatred against the Jews
• Der Stürmer issues


  • "Storm above juda" - criticizing institutional Churches as "judaized" organizations
  • "Storm over Juda - The world court is coming"
• Hitler considered Streicher's 'primitive methods' to be effective in influencing the man on the street
• Goebbels and Albert Speer organised rallies that were designed to show to the world the might of the Nazi nation
• The first Nazi rallies took place in 1923 in Munich and 1926 in Weimar. From 1927 on, they were held in Nuremberg
• The rallies reached over half a million from all sections of the party, the army and the state, including the Wehrmacht, SS, SA, Labor Service, Hitler Youth etc.
• Images of the hero worship of Hitler are often from Nuremberg
• Sieg Heil


  Literally means "Victory Hail" or "hail victory". During the Nazi era, it was a common call at political rallies like Nuremberg
• When meeting someone, it was customary in Nazi Germany to give the Hitler salute and say the words "Heil Hitler"
• In November 1937, 'The Eternal Jew' exhibition opened in Munich, and ran until 31 January 1938, claiming to show the 'typical outward features' of Jews and to demonstrate their allegedly Middle Eastern and Asiatic characteristics. The exhibition also attempted to 'expose' a world-wide 'Jewish-Bolshevik' conspiracy
• The exhibition attracted 412,300 visitors, over 5000 per day. The Secret Police reports claimed that it helped to promote a sharp rise in anti-Semitic feelings, and in some cases violence against the jewish community
• Films released to the public by Nazis


  • the Jews
  • the greatness of Hitler
  • the way of life for a true Germans
  • how badly Germans in Eastern Europe were treated
• Nazi propaganda films


  • Triumph of Will
  • Hitlerjunge Quex
• Goebbels ordered that many comedies should be made to give Germany a 'fun' image
• People's Receiver


  Cheap radios organised by Goebbels so that people could hear Hitler's speak
• Loud speakers were put up in streets so that people could not avoid any speeches by the Fuhrer
• Cafes and other such properties were ordered to play in public speeches by Hitler
• The Nazis published a great number of books that promoted Nazism, German nationalism, Eugenics, Anti-Semitism
• Anti-Semitic books


  • Don't Trust A Fox in A Green Meadow Or the Word of A Jew, The Poisonous Mushroom
• The most notable is Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf or My Struggle which was a best seller during the Nazi years
• Swastika


  Traditionally used as a symbol of good luck, welfare, prosperity or victory. The Nazis used it on the party's flag, badge and armband. It was adopted as the sole national flag on 15 September 1935. It now banned in Germany.
• Hitler stated: "As National Socialists, we see our program in our flag. In red, we see the social idea of the movement; in white, the nationalistic idea; in the swastika, the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic."
• For months prior to the 1939 invasion, German newspapers and politicians like Adolf Hitler had carried out a national and international propaganda campaign accusing Polish authorities of organizing or tolerating Violent ethnic cleansing of ethnic Germans living in Poland. On 22 August, Adolf Hitler told his generals: "I will provide a propagandistic casus belli. Its credibility doesn't matter. The victor will not be asked whether he told the truth."
• Propaganda was the essence and genius of National Socialism. Flags, uniforms, Sieg Heils. fanfares, marching columns, banners, searchlights, every form of physical stimulation and manipulation was used to mold the Nazi party, and later all of Germany into total compliance with Nazi policy.
• Hitler and the Nazis transformed the fears, impulses, and dissatisfaction of the prewar German masses into a subservient political machine, capable of systematic persecution and murder.