Read Nazi Propaganda - Aims and Methods - Part 1
Using the information and the primary sources describe: (Pgs. 245-247)
a. The chief aims of Nazi propaganda
The chief aims of the Nazis and their progaganda were to keep the population contented, win support for particular policies and to indoctrinate the people with their Weltanschauung, seeking to turn them into committed members of the Volsgemeinschaft.
b. The means used to achieve those aims
The Nazi state tries to gain control over the media and all cultural activities. The controlled those who worked for the media, directed the media in what to produce, and prosecuted non-conformist activities. Totalitarian regiemes would have been impossible had it not been for modern technology.
c. Explain how the Nazis used the press, radio, and film as forms of propaganda. (Pgs. 247-253)
The Reich used three main methods of control of the press. First, they controlled all of those involved, through obligatory membership to coordinating bodies. It soon became treason to spread false news or rumors. Secondly, the RMVP controlled the content of the press through the state-controlled Press Agency. The RMVP held daily meetings to decide what the news would be. Lastly, they exercised control by extending Nazi ownership of the press. The Nazi publishing House gradually took over most of the press.
The radio had long been controlled by the government. The radio became one of the most powerful tools for indoctrination. The growth of radio usage/owning was outstanding. By 1935, 70% of households owned a radio. Radios were mostly used for entertainment, however, they also transmitted Hitler's speeches. Key speeches were announced by sirens and work stopped so that all could listen. Radio wardens organized these events, and reported the attendance.
Film was seen more as a means of relaxation rather than as propaganda. The number of film goers quadrupled between 1935 and 1942. The state had a lot of control over film companies. The Reich Film Chamber regulated both German made and foreign films. Films were put into catagories, and were paid according to such. During the regime 1,000 films were produced, and only 1/6 were "propagandist" Leni Reifenstahl- Triumph of the Will and Olympia. Films were used more for keeping support of the regime rather than as getting people to join Nazism.
d. Explain Goebbels' contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich
Goebbels greatly contributed to the creation and development. He was involved in the most important part of the process, getting people to join the Nazi party. If it had not been for Goebbels and his propaganda, the people would not know as much about Nazi policies and what they were supporting. Also, it was used to gain support for Nazi policies, and sway the views of the public.
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.
One of the most effective ways of gaining Nazi support was through the use of mass rallies. They attracted bystanders who might be won over. The films of the rallies made others feel as though they too could be part of something bigger. Rallies were very carefully organized to drum up the proper emotions of the people. The Nazi calender was filled with new festivals, which celebrated key dates in the Nazi year. Nazis also used sports as propaganda. The government created different sporting bodies. The Hitler Youth and the DAF created sporting activities to develop the healthy body required by child rearing and soldiering. They also encouraged watching sports. The government did pretty much everything they could to make sure that 1936 Olympics a success. They Olympic stadium was turned into a military memorial, linking sport and militarism. Hitler saw the Olympics as an opportunity to display the physical superiority of Germans as the master race. The emphasis was placed on international rather than individual competition. The autobahns (highways) were also used as propaganda. They physically demonstrated national unity. Nazism has been defined as Hitler plus autobahns. Highway construction had been started in the 1920s. At first, cars were seen as an elitist form of transportation. Once the Nazis came into power, they changed their views. The actual impact of the autobahns was exaggerated.
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).
Hitler was a failed artist and took great interest in painting. Hitler wanted to foster healthy Aryan art. Modern, reflective, and abstract art was out of the widow. Nazi art was to be clear, direct and heroic. Nazi art depicted the ideals of people. Hitler was portrayed as the wise leader. Nazi art did not reflect the real world so much as Nazi ideology and myth. A series of well-attended national and local art exhibitions were held. Many artists from before the Reich stayed in Germany, but did not produce art under the confines of the Nazis.
Scupture as available to people through the sculptures that adorned buildings. In 1934, it was decreed that all new public buildings should be embellished by sculptures conveying the Nazi message. Hitler's favorite sculptors were given vast studios to turn out masses of heroic german figures and sominant animals like eagles to adorn public buildings.
Architecture was seen as one of the most important artistic form of propaganda. Hitler described it as the "word in stone". Buildings were visited by many people, and were constructed of material that would last. The pressure for raw goods did not effect Hitler's plans for new buildings. Individuals were dwarfed in the front of the building to represent authority. The regime also favored traditional, German style houses. Architects still used modern techniques, for functionality. Modern materials, like glass and steel were also used, diverting from the traditional.
