15. Propaganda

Question 1

Why was propaganda so important to the nazi state

Answer 1

One of the easiest ways of ensuring conformity was by getting people to support the new government

Question 2

What were the Nazis main methods of propaganda

Answer 2

The Reich chamber of culture. This was subdivided into six sections one for each major propaganda method. One of the most impressive nazi methods employed was the annual Nuremberg rallies. Light, sound and costume were used to create a mesmeric atmosphere among the crowds of up to half a million people. Other smaller scale rallies were held throughout the year. Nazi propaganda probably reached its height with the spectacle of the 1936 Olympic Games which were held in Berlin

Question 3

Explain how control of the media was also a key aim

Answer 3

• most newspapers were bought up by Eher Verlag the nazi publishers. By 1939 the Nazis owned 69% of the newspaper titles in circulation
• the editors law held editors responsible for the content of their newspapers
• only journalists who were approved by the government could work in the media
• newspapers that printed stories the regime disapproved of were shut down
• editors went to a daily propaganda Ministry briefing to be told what to print
• the Nazis took control of all radio stations
• strong efforts were made to persuade Germans to buy cheap radios made by the Reich radio company. These could only pick up nazi broadcasts by 1939 70% of households owned one, the highest percent of radio ownership for any country in the world
• loud speakers were erected in public places and in work places

Question 4

What steps did the Nazis take to censor alternative view points ?

Answer 4

The propaganda ministry also controlled censorship
It censored:
- cinema
- music
- theatre
- literature
to ensure that they reflected Nazi thinking
- 20,000 books were symbolically burned in Berlin in May 1933
- the 1934 law against malicious gossip outlawed anti-Nazi stories and jokes
- exhibitions of ‘degenerate’ art were organised showing people the ‘distorted’ work of modern artists such as George grosz and Otto Dix. Such art was unfortunately compared with the realism Of the Nazi art. -unacceptable

Question 5

Who was in charge of propaganda for the nazi government

Answer 5

Dr Joseph Goebbels the minister for popular enlightenment and propaganda