Propaganda Flashcards
What was the main aim of Nazi propaganda?
To reconstruct German society and reeducate the population for a new society based on National Socialist values: a Volksgemeinschaft
What were the major themes that recurred in Nazi propaganda?
Appeal to national unity based upon the principle ‘the community before the individual’
The need for racial purity
A hatred of enemies which increasingly centred on Jews and Bolsheviks
Charismatic leadership - Fuhrerprincip
Who was in charge of propaganda?
Joseph Goebbels - Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
How was radio used for Nazi propaganda?
Goebbels brought broadcasting under Nazi control and created the Reich Radio Company
In 1932 only 25% of Germans owned radios so the government produced cheap sets called the People’s Receiver so that, by the outbreak of war in 1939, 70% of the population had radios
On top of this, loud speakers were installed in factories, cases, and offices - no escaping the Nazi message
Goebbels was aware that too much political propaganda bored people so 2/3 or airtime was given over to popular songs and music
How did Nazis bring newspapers under state control?
Socialist and communist newspapers were closed down
The Editor’s Law of 1933 made newspaper content the responsibility of the editor and he had to satisfy the requirements of the Propaganda Ministry
A daily press conference was held at which editors were told what to write
News agencies that gave the press information were placed under Nazi control
The Nazi publishing house bought up many papers - by the end of 1927 Nazis had bought 27 newspapers and by 1939 it controlled two thirds of the press
Why may newspapers not have been such a success for Nazi propaganda?
Tightly managed press meant a fall in the quality of journalism as writers were limited in what they could write.
This meant a decline in interest and newspaper sales fell by 10% by 1939
How was literature brought under Nazi control?
Writers had to be positive about Nazism, war, and expansion
The Reich Chamber of Literature listed banned books, and libraries and second-hand bookshops were raided for prohibited books which were burned at rallies
What backlash was there to Nazi policy on literature?
~2500 German writers left the country, including:
- Thomas Mann, Nobel prize-winning novelist
- Bertolt Brecht, modern playwright
- Erich Maria Remarque, novelist who had written All Quiet on the Western Front, a pacifist book describing the First World War
How was art brought under Nazi control?
Modern art was banned and modern paintings were removed from galleries, with only works that portrayed German heroes on the countryside allowed.
All working artists had to become members of the Reich Culture Chamber
National and local exhibitions were organised with Nazi themes, and were often well attended
How was architecture used for Nazi propaganda?
Much effort was put into designing buildings and restructured cities, often in a neoclassical style, to show the supposed permanence of the Reich.
Many of the new public buildings were decorated by sculptures conveying Nazi ideology
In 1934, an order was issued that public buildings should be decorated with sculptures that relayed the Nazi message
Effective form of propaganda as buildings were seen by large numbers of people
How was drama and music censored and used as Nazi propaganda?
Strict control over drama and music.
Theatres and plays had to have a licence and were subject to police supervision.
Banned experimental plays and music. In music, even some works in the classical tradition were censored while jazz was forbidden as it was seen as ‘degenerate’
Music written by Jewish composers such as Mendelssohn and Mahler was banned and Jewish conductors and musicians were dismissed
How was film used as Nazi propaganda?
The Reich Film Chamber was established and everyone in the movie industry had to join.
The German film industry already had a high reputation which was further enhanced by cinematic techniques used in the documentaries of Leni Riefenstahl, particularly Olympia, about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and Triumph of the Will, about the 1934 Nuremburg Rally. These films promoted nationalism.
Why were meetings and rallies an effective form of Nazi propaganda?
Although most of the participants were likely to be Nazi supporters, their commitment would probably be strengthened by attending such rallies
They also attracted bystanders who might be won over
Films of rallies might make even non-participants feel they wanted to be part of such an impressive movement
How were Nazi rallies made to look impressive?
Speer specialised in choreographing the displays using the architecture of light to create an effect similar to today’s pop concerts.
The combination of uniforms, disciplined mass movements, stirring music, striking flags, and symbols, often at night, created a powerful feeling of wishing to belong.
Then came the address by Hitler, the master at manipulating mass emotions
How did the Nazis try to create a new social ritual?
The Heil Hitler greeting
The Nazi salute
The Horst Wessel anthem (a song written by a Nazi stormtrooper who was later killed in a street battle with communists. It became a Nazi marching song)
The wearing of uniforms
