The use of propaganda

The aims of propaganda

Hitler and Goebbels wanted what Goebbels called ‘spiritual mobilisation’ of the German people – to own the German people’s hearts and minds.

The methods of propaganda

• Goebbels had been the Nazi propaganda chief before 1933 and had proven himself as very able at using all media to convey party messages. He could control, direct and censor the media to ensure that Nazi ideology was spread.
• His new Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda meant that he could oversea the work of the press, radio, film, literature, music etc. – he had enormous power over German cultural life.
• Also, he could control who was employed in this industry, so anyone who was considered racially impure or politically unreliable were dismissed and replaced – people quickly learnt that criticism of the regime led to a loss of livelihoods.

Newspapers

Socialist and communist newspapers were shut down. From January 1933 onwards, the Nazis began to buy up press organisation so by the end of 1933, they owned 27 daily newspapers and could control what was published. News agencies that supplied the press with information were merged into a State-controlled organisation, causing newspapers to become bland and conformist.

Radio

Hitler and Goebbels believed that the spoken word had more impact than written communication so radios were important to them. Radio broadcasts gave them the opportunity to talk directly to the German people. By April 1934, radio stations were brought under the control of the ‘Reich Radio Company’ which was controlled by the Propaganda Ministry. Loudspeakers were set up in towns and workplaces. Goebbels promoted the mass production of cheap radio sets – by 1939 70% of households owned a radio.

Film

Goebbels understood that films could work on the subconscious, delivering subliminal messages and reinforcing prejudices. Goebbels was personally responsible for approving every film that Germany made after 1933 – between 1933 and 1945, over 1000 feature films were produced and cinema attendance increased. Films weren’t overtly political but contained political messages and there was a common theme of demonizing Jews and Communists – they would often be portrayed as criminals or murderers; created an anti-Semitic culture.

Arts

For Hitler the arts were an expression of race – only Aryans were capable of producing true art. The Nazis promoted arts that glorified healthy, heroic and strong Germans. On 6th May 1933, a group of Nazi students and ** made a huge bonfire of around 20,000 books. Similar actions followed across Germany. These books were often written by Jews or Marxists.

Parades/ spectacles

In 1930, a Nazi pamphlet ‘Modern Political Propaganda’ stated that ‘good discipline is the best propaganda’ and this discipline was best displayed in marches and parades. These marches were purposefully theatrical, they would wear uniforms and medals to display power and glory. They were all heavily stage managed.

• The Nazis wanted to indoctrinate the German people; Hitler and Goebbels were highly skilled propagandists.
• But, it is difficult to gage how effective propaganda was: there were no free elections and parade attendance was heavily monitored and people were forced to go. So, it is difficult to ascertain the popularity of the Nazis.
• From Gestapo reports on public opinion, we can conclude that some people were sceptical towards some of the Nazis policies.
• Attitudes of Germans towards the regime depended on: age, social class, occupation, religion, intellect etc.
• So, we can’t reach a definitive judgement whether the majority of Germans supported the regime. 

Areas of success

It was more successful when aimed at the young whose opinions were not yet strongly formed – their beliefs could be moulded. It was also successful in areas where Nazi beliefs overlapped with pre-existing ideology e.g. the aristocracy shared their belief in the need for law and order and the middle class shared their hostility towards communism and socialism.

Areas of failure

Unsuccessful when it challenged people’s pre-existing ideas e.g. when the Nazis challenged Christian values.

The Hitler Myth

Nazi propaganda presented Hitler as being unlike other politicians – he was a ‘man of the people’. He was presented as:

• Hard working
• Tough
• Uncompromising in defeating Germany’s internal and external enemies
• A political genius who was responsible for removing the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles
• Dynamic compared with the weak politicians of the Weimar era
• He lived a simple life and sacrificed his own happiness to devote himself to the German people – he was often shown alone and removed from the Nazi Party

In reality, he was:

• Always surrounded by officials who competed with each other to gain his attention
• Hitler supplied the vision and ministers and officials interpreted this into detailed policies – he was not actually involved in detailed decision making
• Far from hard working – he would stay up late watching films and usually didn’t get up until midday.
• His days were spent eating and walking in the grounds of his mountain retreat.
• He disliked reading official documents and rarely got involved in detailed discussions on policy.

In 1941, Goebbels called the creation of the ‘Hitler Myth’ his greatest achievement. In 1933, the majority of the German people remained unconvinced or hostile towards Hitler but by the end of 1934, a powerful ‘Hitler cult’ had taken over – Hitler was being hailed as a symbol of the nation. The Hitler Myth helped the regime to stay in power, masking its failings and inconsistencies.