Propaganda and Censorship

Question 1

What was Josef Goebbels full job title?

Answer 1

Minister for Public Propaganda and Enlightenment

Question 2

What did Goebbels say about propaganda?

Answer 2

‘The finest kind of propaganda does not reveal itself’

Question 3

How were newspapers censored?

Answer 3

• Non-Nazi newspapers were shut down
• Editors were told what they could print
• Sometimes, journalists were told what they should write

Question 4

Where did the Nazis hold their annual rally?

Answer 4

Nuremberg (southern Germany)

Question 5

Why were Nuremberg rallies effective propaganda?

Answer 5

They showed how strong, organised and disciplined the Nazi regime was

Question 6

How were radios uses to spread propaganda?

Answer 6

• All radios were placed under Nazi control
• Cheap, mass-produced radios were placed across the country, such as in cafes and factories so the Nazi message could be heard

Question 7

How big were cinema audiences in 1933?

Answer 7

Over 250 million

Question 8

What did film makers have to do from 1934 onwards?

Answer 8

Send their plots to Goebbels for approval

Question 9

Give an example of a pro-Nazi film

Answer 9

Hitlerjunge Quex

Question 10

What preceded all films in Nazi Germany?

Answer 10

A 45 minutes official newsreel which glorified Hitler and Germany’s achievements

Question 11

How were books censored?

Answer 11

• Many writers were forced or persuaded to write pro-Nazi books
• Students burned 20,000 books written by Jews, communists and anti-Nazi professors in a massive bonfire in May 1933

Question 12

How did the Nazis censor universities?

Answer 12

• Anti-Nazi professors lost their jobs (3000 were dismissed between 1933 and 1938)
• Academic research was directed by the Ministry of Education. Publications were expected to align with Nazi views.

Question 13

What year were the Berlin Olympics?

Answer 13

1936

Question 14

What was the capacity of the Olympic stadium?

Answer 14

110,000 people - the largest in the world at the time.

Question 15

Why did the Nazis build such a large stadium for the Olympics?

Answer 15

To show off to the world the power of Germany

Question 16

In what ways was the Berlin Olympics a success for the Nazis?

Answer 16

• Germany topped the medal table (33 golds)
• All filming was under the direction of Leni Riefenstahl (a Nazi supporter). This meant the Nazis could control what people saw.
• Anti-semitic signs were removed so foreign visitors got a positive image of Germany

Question 17

What happened at the Olympics that undermined the Nazi regime?

Answer 17

Jesse Owens, a black American athlete, won four gold medals, proving Aryan superiority to be a myth.