L5: propaganda

what was josef goebbels role in the nazi regime?

• head of the ministry of popular enlightenment and propaganda

• personally approved and vetted every film made in germany alongside foreign films

role of the ministry of popular enlightenment and propaganda

• created march 1933

• vast and powerful bureaucratic empire for goebbels to control german culture

• ALL artists had to register and have their work approved

• ensure indoctrination of the public

  • to achieve aims of gleichschaltung and volksgemeinschaft

how did nazi propaganda affect newspapers? (changes)

• jan 1933 - thousands of privately owned newspapers in germany

  • freedom of speech threatened regime’s control of information

• socialist and communist newspapers were first to be closed under the decree

• news agencies that provided information to the press merged into a state controlled organisation

nazi newspapers

• end of 1933: bought 27 daily newspapers

• most important → völkisher beobachter (the people’s observer)

• avoided controversial topics

• conformed to nazi ideology

how did the nazis change radio?

• believed spoken word more impactful than written communication

• used radio broadcasts in 1932 and 1933 campaigns

• loudspeakers in high traffic areas (town squares, factories etc) to broadcast important speeches

  • work would stop to listen

• mass production and sale of affordable radio sets

how often did hitler speak to the public in 1933?

50 broadcasts in 1933

how widespread was the use of radio in german households?

70% of german households had a radio by 1939 → highest proportion of any country

how did the nazis ensure their control over radio?

april 1934

• ALL radio stations controlled by Reich Radio Company → branch of the ministry of propaganda

how did the nazis control film?

• goebbels personally approved every film made in germany after 1933

• foreign films vetted for political and racial content

• most american films banned

• saw potential films had to deliver subliminal messages and reinforce ideologies

how did film production and audiences change?

• 1933-1945: over 1000 feature films made in germany

• cinema audiences rose fourfold

what proportion of the approved films held political messages?

14% - still contained an element of propaganda

common themes in approved films

• glorification of leadership

• blood and soil (close relationship between race and land, idolising farmers)

• demonisation of jews and communists → parasitology

specific example of an approved theme

the triumph of the will

• directed by leni riefenstahl

• documentary of nuremberg rally

• released 1935

• key themes of: leadership, loyalty, discipline, unity, militarism etc

what was the purpose of nazi parades and rallies?

• display order and discipline of regime

• show mass public support through acts of loyalty

• identify individuals not complying → block leaders reported failure to join in to gestapo

• collected visual support of popularity of nazis → filmed for newsreels

what was the role of the public in nazi parades and rallies?

• wore uniforms and medals

• carried banners and sang party songs

• torchlight processions → dramatised and caught attention of the public

• hung swastika flags out of the window

how did the nazis use parades and rallies for further use in propaganda?

• used as visual proof of popularity/mass public support for the nazis

• filmed for newsreels

• manipulated images and used ‘stage management’ → does not prove genuine support for regime

nuremberg rallies

• annual event → occurred each september

• up to 100,000 party members in attendance

• events were choreographed to maximise impact

• speeches by nazi leaders and hitler as main event

use of posters as propaganda

• use to capture public attention to promote nazi ideals and policies

• effectively won votes before march 1933

• core method of promoting key themes of the regime → indoctrinated

key themes of posters

anti-semitism, patriotism, volksgemeinschaft, loyalty, leadership, militarism, discipline, duty, strength, hard work, KDF

use of art as propaganda

• promoted art glorifying the healthy, strong, heroic

• ideal topics: real and mythical past national heroes

• only the aryan capable of producing true art

• ‘degenerate’ art of the weimar period → unpatriotic and evidence of racial decline

when did book burnings begin? with who?

10th may 1933 → 300th anniversary of luther’s 95 theses

SA led a group of nazi students

authors targeted in book burnings?

• bertolt brecht and august bebel → well known socialists

• karl marx → founder of concept of communism

• ernest hemingway → american, ‘corrupting foreign influence’

• thomas mann - supported weimar and critiqued fascism

• erich maria remarque - all quiet on the western front

• typically books written by jewish, marxist, socialist authors → may have promoted birth control or feminism etc

statistics for book burnings

• burnt approx 20,000 books deemed ‘un-german’

• replicated in 19 other university towns

what was the hitler myth?

• distinguished hitler as different to other politicians, lived a simple life and devoted to country

• hard working, uncompromising political genius

• responsible for political awakening of germany → saved from weimar and shackles of TOV

• strong compared to weak leadership of failed weimar politicians

• guardian of traditional morality and justice

reality of hitler compared to the hitler myth

• extreme delegation → rarely involved in detailed policy making, other nazis lead instead

• surrounded by advising officials who competed for attention

• supplied vague vision → detailed policies and implementation assured by others

• stayed up late, watched films, woke up about midday

• spent time eating, walking and avoiding berlin and discussions on policy

• speeches were long, rambling and abstract, avoided specific details

• nazi officials had difficulty getting him to make decisions

how effective was nazi propaganda in creatin a totalitarian state?

• hard to judge success of indoctrination and securing support of the public

• nazi plebiscites were not free elections → surveilled by SD

• impossible to judge success → opinions changed over time and between social groups

• most impactful on the youth and those who had pre-existing ideals that overlapped with nazi ideology

  • most successful propaganda simply reinforced attitudes people already held