Nazi PropagandaBy Joe Butterworth 10L

Introduction

Nazi propaganda was introduced in 1933 when the new chancellor of Germany Adolf Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as leader of propaganda .

Hitler appointed Goebbels as leader of propaganda so that he was able to spread Nazi messages through different medias.

In the twelve years which Hitler was in power, he used it well as all of the German public got behind Hitler due to the use of propaganda.

What is propaganda and why is it used?

Propaganda, simply put, is the manipulation of public opinion. It is generally carried out through media that is capable of reaching a large amount of people and effectively persuading them for or against a cause. The exact meaning of propaganda is constantly debated, however, and no specific definition is completely true. Some argue that any persuasive communication is propaganda, while others hold that propaganda specifically alters political opinions.

Newspapers

The Nazis banned all newspapers which were against Nazi views. The Nazis believed that the German public would turn against them if they found out what was going on truthfully.

The Nazis had three newspapers which they owned. They were called:

Das Reich, a more moderate and highbrow publication aimed at intellectuals and foreigners;

Der Stürmer, the most virulently anti-Semitic of all.

Das Schwarze Korps, an SS publication, aiming at a more intellectual tone.

Posters

Poster art was a mainstay of the Nazi propaganda effort, aimed both at Germany itself and occupied territories. It had several advantages. The visual effect, being striking, would reach the viewer easily. Poster were also, unlike other forms of propaganda, difficult to avoid.

Imagery frequently drew on heroic realism. Nazi youth and the SS were depicted monumentally, with lighting posed to produce grandeur.

Posters were also used in schools, depicting, for instance, an institution for the feeble-minded on one hand and houses on the other, to inform the students that the annual cost of this institution would build 17 homes for health families

Films

The Nazis produced many films to promote their views. Themes included the virtues of the Nordic or Aryan type, German military and industrial strength, and the evils of the Nazi enemies. On March 13, 1933, The Third Reich established a Ministry of Propaganda, appointing Joseph Goebbels as its Minister. On September 22, 1933, a Department of Film was incorporated into the Chamber of Culture. The department controlled the licensing of every film prior to its production. Sometimes, the government would select the actors for a film, financing the production partially or totally, and would grant tax breaks to the producers.

Hitler also banned Jewish actors and actresses from film.

Radios

The radio was an important tool in Nazi propaganda and it has been argued that it was the Nazis who pioneered the use of what was still a relatively new technology as a tool of genocide.

The Nazis made their own Radios, so that people who could not afford a radio would be able to listen to Nazi messages. The Nazis banned music such as jazz as they were totally against it.

Text books and young Nazis The children text books

where aimed obviously at the young children, to support Nazi views on religion.

The text books where against people who were not Nazis.

Questions consisted e.g. ‘If the population of Germany is 70 million and there is 400,000 aliens, what percentage of Germany’s population are Aliens?

The Text books were written by Nazis and the teacher had to have Nazi beliefs.

Sport

In the 1936 Olympics In Berlin Hitler used propaganda as all the crowd had to support the Germans.

Hitler had banned Jewish Germans from competing in the German national team as he believed tat they were not proper Germans.

When Jessie Owens, an American athlete had won 4 medals, Hitler refused to shake his hand because he was a non German and also because he was a different Race.