Nazi Germany – 1933-39

• The Nazis believed that propaganda was a vital tool in achieving their goals

• Persuasion – Nazi ideas• To ensure nobody in Germany

could read or see anything that was hostile or damaging to the Nazi Party

• To ensure that the people of Germany were loyal to Hitler and the Nazi Party

• To ensure that everybody thought in the correct manner

• Goebbels set up the Reich Chamber of Commerce in 1933. This organization dealt with literature, art, music, radio, films, newspapers etc

• Films: concentrated on issues like the Jews, greatness of Hitler, way of life for a true Nazi etc – “Triumph of Will” by Leni Riefenstahl

• Cafes and restaurants were ordered to play in public speeches by Hitler

• Radio: Goebbels organized the sale of cheap radios, called “People’s Receiver”, and they only cost 76 marks, the smaller version is just 35 marks

• Newspapers only printed stories favorite to the government – others Newspapers only printed stories favorite to the government – others were forced to close down if they printed unapproved storieswere forced to close down if they printed unapproved stories

• Mass rally – lasts for a week and was held in four specially built arenas Mass rally – lasts for a week and was held in four specially built arenas outside the town. One of these arenas can hold 400,000 people, and outside the town. One of these arenas can hold 400,000 people, and they watched army parades and gymnastic displaysthey watched army parades and gymnastic displays

• Books that did not match thee Nazi ideal was burnt in public - Nazis ransacked libraries to remove the ‘offending’ books

• Loud speakers were put up in streets so that people could not avoid Loud speakers were put up in streets so that people could not avoid any speeches by Hitlerany speeches by Hitler

• Censored jazz music at dances because it had its origins among the Censored jazz music at dances because it had its origins among the black people of Americablack people of America

• Complaining about the government was made illegal, and anti-Nazi Complaining about the government was made illegal, and anti-Nazi jokes were forbidden and the penalty for Hitler jokes was deathjokes were forbidden and the penalty for Hitler jokes was death

• Joseph Goebbels – Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment

• He organized the first of the infamous book burning episodes, and

• "The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it." - Goebbels

• Leni Riefenstahl – Hitler paid her 7 million reichsmarks to produce propaganda films

• Hitler received much support from women

• The posters were successful in the sense that they offered a visual alternative to reality

• Convinced the people of Germany that the Jews were responsible for everything

• Was able to control the population in terms of their actions, but not exactly their thoughts