Control and Opposition: Propaganda and Censorship

Question 1

Propaganda

Answer 1

A type of ”political advertising” designed to get people to think and believe what you want them to

Question 2

What did the Nazis use propaganda for?

Answer 2

• persuading Germans to believe in Nazi ideas and love the Führer
• convincing those hostile to the regime that the Nazis were so powerful opposition would be futile

Question 3

What has propaganda been used for?

Answer 3

• distort facts
• maintain popularity
• boost morale

Question 4

Job of Geobbels and the ministry of Propaganda

Answer 4

Their job was to make the Germans believe in Nazi ideas and be loyal to Hitler and the Nazi Party

Question 5

Newspapers

Answer 5

• only printed stories favourable to the government
• Geobbels banned anti-Nazi newspapers
• editors were told what to print at a briefing everyday at the propaganda ministry
• only journalists approved by the Nazis could work in the media
• no criticism of the Nazi regime or it’s actions
• by 1939 the Nazis owned 69% of newspapers in circulation

Question 6

Radios

Answer 6

• Geobbels formed the Reich Radio Company and took over all other radio companies
• used to enforce Nazi message
• encouraged people to listen to radio by producing peoples receiver - cheap radio sets most people could afford
• loudspeakers in public places - made sure people heard the radio when they weren’t at home
• all cafes were ordered to have the radios turned on for important programmes
• radio wardens employed to ensure people listened to the radio
• listening to foreign radio stations was banned

Question 7

Rallies

Answer 7

most famous mass rallies held in Nuremberg in August each year
- lasted a whole week
- were held in four specially built arenas
- one arena could hold 400,000 people

held at different points in the year
- to glorify Germany
- celebrate Hitler e.g Hitler’s birthday
- important anniversaries

Every event was staged to perfection
- hundreds of thousands of people went to see the spectacular parades and displays

Question 8

Cinema and film

Answer 8

• propaganda films made by Nazis and shown in cinemas
• Nazi propaganda films and newsreels were shown at the beginning of shows
• anti-semitic and anti-communist films were often shown before feature films
• cinema, theatre, music and literature was censored by the ministry of propaganda and censorship to ensure that they reflected Nazi thinking

Question 9

Posters

Answer 9

• posters were used to convey Nazi messages by using powerful images and slogans
• posters were cheap and easy to distribute
• they were placed in prominent positions a constant reminder of Nazi ideology

Question 10

1936 Olympic Games

Answer 10

• Olympic Games in Berlin were staged to show off Germany at its best
• Germany won more medals than other countries

Question 11

Censorship

Answer 11

• censorship means to ban information or entertainment which the government thinks is harmful

Question 12

Why did the Nazis use censorship?

Answer 12

• Geobbels used censorship to stop other ideas from spreading
• the ministry of enlightenment and propaganda censored cinema, theatre, music and literature to ensure that they reflected Nazi thinking

Question 13

What are examples of censorship in Nazi Germany?

Answer 13

jazz music
- banned at dances because it had its origins among the black people of America

books
- students in Berlin destroyed 20,000 books written by Jews and Communists in a bonfire

’speak through a flower’
- people were encouraged to only say good things about the regime
- death penalty for anti-Hitler jokes
- complaining about the government was against the law

Question 14

evidence of success in propaganda

Answer 14

short term
- propaganda played an important role in getting Hitler into power and advertising his main ideas

general lack of resistance to the Nazi regime
- indication that propaganda was effective

lasting effect on young people
- even after the war 42% of German youths believed reconstruction would best be carried out by “strong new führer”

Question 15

evidence of failure of propaganda

Answer 15

long term
- Germany lost many of its best scientists and intellectuals

older and more educated people
- generally less susceptible to propaganda
- brought up with different values and ideas

some resistance
- Niemöller spoke out against the Nazis
- political prisoners

police state
- it’s hard to tell if the lack of resistance was due to propaganda and censorship or the police state

Question 16

Architecture

Answer 16

• Project the power of the Nazi regime,
• Speer redesigned Berlin “Germania”
• and designed Nuremberg Stadium rallies