To what extent did Propaganda succeed in creating a totalitarian state?

Question 1

What does totalitarianism mean?

Answer 1

A political system in which the state holds total authority over the society + seeks to control all aspects of public and private life whenever necessary

Question 2

Was Germany classified as a totalitarian state?

Answer 2

Yes

Hitler sought to control all aspects of society + individual life

Question 3

What is censorship?

Answer 3

The act of restricting and banning information

Question 4

What is propaganda?

Answer 4

Publicising information

Question 5

What was the Hitler myth?

Answer 5

A carefully cultivated image which portrayed Hitler as the Saviour of Germany, defending Germany against its enemies

Question 6

What did the Nazis aim to do by maintaining power and control?

Answer 6

To create a Volksgemeinschaft which glorified the Aryan race and war, while spreading Nazi values

Question 7

What is Volksgemeinschaft?

Answer 7

‘People’s Community’

Question 8

Who was Goebbels?

Answer 8

Responsible for Propaganda
Hitler appointed him Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda 13th March 1933
Role was to centralise Nazi control over all aspects or German Gleichschaltung

Question 9

What was one of his first acts?

Answer 9

10th May 1933

Supervised the burning of around 20,000 books by Jewish or anti-Nazi authors by the SA

Question 10

What did Goebbells do in the Nazi party campaign?

Answer 10

Choreographed Hitler’s dramatic airplane tours of Germany
Pioneered the use of radio and cinema for electoral campaigning
Use of torchlight parades, brass bands and mass choirs credited to him

Question 11

What forms of Propaganda did the Nazis use?

Answer 11

Radio Autobahns
Cinema Universities
The press Literature
Photographs. Music
Posters. Paintings
Meeting and rallies. Sculpture
Sport Architecture
Festivals

Question 12

How did the Nazis use radio as a form of propaganda?

Answer 12

Broadcasting brought under Nazi control
Reich Radio Company was created
Hitler made frequent broadcasts
Nazis produced their own cheap radio sets
Placed in cafes, factories schools and streets
Goebbels made it a treasonable offence to listen to overseas offence

Question 13

What was the impact of using radio as form of propaganda?

Answer 13

Ownership of radios rose from 25% at start of period to 70% by outbreak of war in 1939
No escaping the Nazi messages; loudspeakers installed in public places, reached housewives + people in remote rural areas
16 million sets by 1943
In first year of war alone 1500 Germans imprisoned for listening to London-based programmes

Question 14

How did the Nazis use cinema as a form of propaganda?

Answer 14

Films shown alongside 45 minute gov newsreels publicising Germany’s achievements
From 1934, plots for new films had to be approved by Goebbels
Fiction and documentary films used to spread Nazi message

Question 15

What are some examples of propaganda films?

Answer 15

The ‘Eternal Jew’ by Fritz Hippler in 1940 compared Jews to rats

‘Hitlerjunge Quex’ by Hans Steinhoff in 1933 was about a boy who joins Hitler Youth + is killed by Communist

Question 16

How did the Nazis control the press and use it as a form of Propaganda?

Answer 16

Socialist + Communist papers closed, the Editor’s Law of 1933 ensured the remainer published Nazi views
A daily press conference told editors what to write

Question 17

What was the impact of the Nazis controlling the press?

Answer 17

The quality of journalism fell

Reflected in the decline in newspaper sales

Question 18

How did the Nazis control universities?

Answer 18

University researchers and lecturers had to support Nazi views or would be dismissed
Between 1933-38, 3000 academics were dismissed
Anyone appointed to a uni post had to be approved by gov + complete 6 week training course

Question 19

How did Nazis control music?

Answer 19

Censored + had to do conform to the Nazi ideal
Modern + experimental music banned
Jazz music banned as it was seen as black music so therefore inferior

Question 20

How did the Nazis control literature?

Answer 20

They decided what ones would be available, banned ones they didn’t like
Burnt millions of books
Authors could only write about 4 topics
By 1939, over 2500 authors had left Germany

Question 21

How did the Nazis control sport?

Answer 21

Used the 1936 Berlin olympics to show Nazi Germany in a good light
Employee filmmaker to film event
Built Olympic stadium seating 110,000 people to reflect power of Germany
All events organised to show German efficiency
Germany won most medals, 33 gold
Aryan superiority ??

Question 22

How did Nazis use meeting and rallies as propaganda?

Answer 22

Nazi support strengthened by attending
Carefully organised
Uniforms, disciplined mass movements, stirring music, striking flags and symbols created powerful feeling of wishing to belong

Question 23

How were the arts controlled by Nazis?

Answer 23

Modern art banned

Only paintings that portrayed German heroes or the countryside were allowed

Question 24

How did the Nazis enforce control through public festivals?

Answer 24

Celebrated a number of important days in the Nazi calendar
People expected to hang out flags, parades and speeches organised
Eg Jan= day of seizing power
Feb=founding of the Nazi party day
Nov=anniversary of the Munich Putsch

Question 25

What was the impact of propaganda abs censorship of the lives of the German people?

Answer 25

Hitler + Nazi party were a constant presence in people’s lives
Culture became tiresome, the range of music, films + books were very restricted
Hid the worst excesses of the regime from the public meant many Germans supported Hitler
Overall propaganda helped reinforce existing beliefs but less successful in getting people to accept new ideas

Question 26

Reasons why propaganda was effective?

Answer 26

Propaganda played an important role in creating the Hitler myth and strengthening Germany after the crises of 1929-33
Successful because Goebbels had control over a wide range of methods

Question 27

Why was propaganda not effective?

Answer 27

Less successful in creating a Nazi culture or winning over the working classes
Although it was successful in some areas it failed in others, therefore the system of terror was more important in upholding the regime