Nazi Propaganda

Nazi Propaganda- Aims and Methods Part 1:


a. The chief aims of Nazi propaganda
Nazi Propaganda may have very well been the driving force that lead Hitler and his party into absolute power. Goebbels, a master at Propaganda made his aims very clear, the Ministry of Propaganda,  ought to have all control over the means, and ways of which the masses receive information and media within the state, and conform to the same policies of National Socialism. Goebbels also aimed to ensure complete understanding of the message, all German people: children, illiterate, under-educated, and highly educated ought to be able to understand the message that he was putting forth.

b. The means used to achieve those aims
Goebbels utilized a "funnel" or " cone" like structure in achieving the aims of both mass immersion into the culture, and believes that the people of the state ought to have, as well as making it easily understood by both those learned and undereducated. This method contained all areas of German life as a means for exposure. The message, is in the middle funneled through, with the means such as Sport, Parades and Rallies, Radio, Press, Film, Posters, The arts, Literature, Youth movements, School, and Literature all stemming from this one message that Goebbels is deeming an important Nazi value, idea, or lifestyle. Nazi party propagandists also used the new advancements in film, and the improvements in technologies such as the microphone, loudspeakers, and as mentioned above film production-- this allowed pictures of important political leaders to be more readily available to the masses.

c. Explain how the Nazis used the press, radio, and film as forms of propaganda. (Pgs. 247-253)
The Nazi's utilized the press as a form of propaganda through most importantly controlling editors, journalist, photographers, and publishers through a somewhat of a forced membership into a compulsary body. The Reich press office therefore had a list of acceptable press and editors during that time period, they also kept a firm grasp on the press through clause 14;; which made sure that the editors would exclude anything that would "weaken the strength of the Reich abroad or at home", anything that was against Hitler, his views, or the NSDAP. Also, the local German press agency ( liken to today's AP) controlled over half of the media in the German news, making it hard to find anything that would be deemed against Clause 14. 
Radio was also cleverly utilized by the chancellor and his reich. The radio had been state regulated since 1925, however it was not until 1934 that the NSDAP created a unified system for the radio. The radio was an essential tool in indoctrinating the people of Germany; importantly Hitler's speeches were broadcast to over 70% of homes that owned a radio, and over loudspeakers all over Germany; the radio was an excellent "nationalistic" tool that helped to involve the people of the totalitarian state. 
Finally Film as a form of propaganda was used my the Nazi party in order to "Relax" the people of Germany, it was originally not seen as a propaganda vehicle and was not quickly state owned and run. However, over 1,000 feature films were created during the Reich era, many american films were banned and many films depicted anti-semitism, or rallies conducted by the Fuher. The film " The Eternal Jew" for example, a propaganda film- was eventually a total disaster, many fainted, the movie was too horrific; instead it was replaced with yet another anti-semetic film of a more timid genre.


d. Explain Goebbels' contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich
Goebbel's contribution to the creation and developement of the Third Reich are very important. Although not the leader of the Reich himself Goebbel's is extremely essential to the rise of the Reich. He found his "mission" essentially in selling Hitler to the German people as the perfect leader for the time, a man who would be able to lead them out of the current declining situation, being himself extremely faithful to the Fuher; he was able to establish the cult of personality Hitler needed in order to achieve totalitarianism. A very eloquent man Goebbel's was able to rally most of the 1933 support for the NSDAP. Throughout the reich Goebble's is essential to keeping morale up, and painting the perfect image that Hitler wanted to be seen, an aryan race, and the sneaky Jew.


Read Nazi Propaganda - Other Methods - Part 2

e. Explain how the Nazis used the activities described on pages 254-259 as a form of propaganda.
The Nazi party utilized the Autobahn's, Rallies and Festivals, Sport, and Social Society as other means of propaganda aside from film, photos, radio, and press. The autobahn's, are important to the image of a unified Germany for Hitler; although they were more important militarily and economically the autobahn's are a large scale representation of the German people all coming together for the good of the state, to create the autobahn. Rallies, Meetings, and Festivals were also pivotal during the Third Reich; in attendance of course were the Nazi party members, showing their commitment to the party; there would also be bystanders who would hear the words, see the images and essentially be won over by the party to gain support. Intense arcitechture is used in these rallies to show off flags, lighting, and utilize the music so that the people would feel a sense of wanting to belong, and inpowerment. Hitler however, was the most essential to these rallies-- he was able to manipulate the feelings and emotions of the people whom he cultivated, he held an audience excellently. There is truely however, nothing like a Gestapo enforced festival... the Nazi party established festival days within their calendar where they would celebrate key dates in the history of the party. Failure to report and celebrate could be dealt with by the Gestapo, flags and Nazi symbols were laden during these times. Sports, and Hitler youth were important to the state in order to control the future supporters. It was said that through sport they could achieve the fit bodies that soldiers and child-bearers would need, and would show a glorofied, fit,unified state. Hitler also used the olympics, held in Berlin 36' as a way to show the Germans as a surperior race. Finally social society was used as propaganda as well, the social policy was aimed at the conscious, more than their social position- photographs of the Fuher and his cabinet were severely utilized here. 



Read Nazi Propaganda - Culture - Part 3 and Part 4

f. Explain how the Third Reich used painting, sculpture and architecture for propaganda purposes (Pgs. 260-270).
The arts were also important to Third Reich propaganda; Hitler and the NSDAP used Architecture, Painting and Sculpture in order to influence the thoughts of the German people as well. Architecture has been seen as possibly the most influencial form of artistic propaganda used, the buildings were large in scale and created of materials that would last; also showing the 1,000 year Reich the party was building. Hitler favored neo-classical buildings of monumental scale; these were used to show power to foreign authority, and display strength. Hitler had even planned a large scale architecture project to bring the new " World Capitol" to Germania, ( present day Berlin); however although there are plans, this never was fulfilled. Also important as a form of propaganda is painting; upon gaining power Hitler sought out to remove all degenerate art and replace it with well represented Aryan art, and as Hitler believed it should be unlike during the Weimar era; Nazi art was direct, clear, and heroic. During Hitler's time of power he believed that the art should be of the Masses, both appealing and available to all, large scale art exhibits were put on, and many of the art was then reproduced into print copies of paintings, stamps, or postcards. However, in order to remain in total control, similar to the forced membership of a "union" in the press; all painters must be members of the Reich Culture Chamber. Finally sculpture was another useful form of Nazi propaganda. Sculptures were more readily accessible to the people of the German Third Reich, because they adorned all or most of the newly erected buildings, sculpture was extremely useful to creating depictions of the biologically, anatomically, and totally aryan Perfect German citizen. Dominant animals, athletic looking men, feats of strength were all depicted through sculpture on buildings and free form statues.