Nazi Propaganda (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Many historians view the propaganda of Joseph Goebbels as key to the Nazis' ability to control the German people and prevent any effective opposition.

Propaganda took many forms, such as newspapers, radio and films, but always promoted the Nazi messages.

What is propaganda?

• The SS, SD and Gestapo repressed and removed any opposition to the Nazi Party

• But the Nazis also sought to influence people’s attitudes

• Propaganda and censorship affected what people in Nazi Germany saw, heard and read

Propaganda in Nazi Germany

• As Minister for People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels was responsible for ensuring that all areas of German life were controlled

• Goebbels used a variety of methods to get the Nazi message across

Newspapers 

• Journalists were briefed on what they could and could not publish

• Control of newspapers allowed the Nazis to spread their messages to the public

  • They controlled most newspapers by 1939, compared to 3% in 1933

  • Around 1,600 newspapers were closed down in 1935

• Der Völkischer Beobachte (The People’s Observer) was the official newspaper of the Nazi Party and was published daily:

  • It reached 1.1 million people by 1941

Radio 

• Radios were an increasingly popular tool to communicate political messages

  • Goebbels had relied on the radio during the election years of 1932 and 1933

• After 1933, Goebbels censored most radio stations

  • The stations were used to spread Nazi Party beliefs and messaging

• The introduction of the Volksempfänger (The People’s Receiver) in 1933 was hugely important for several reasons:

Nazi rallies

• The Nazi Party used rallies throughout the 1920s and early 1930s

• The declaration of Hitler as Führer in 1934 allowed him to merge the identity of the Nazi Party with that of Germany:

  • Rallies became more frequent and created a sense of unity

  • Used to advertise the strength of the German army

  • The rallies were held despite the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

• Nuremberg is a city in the centre of Germany

  • It was chosen to host annual rallies from 1933 to 38

• Hitler’s favourite architect, Albert Speer, designed the grounds where the rally took place

• The 1934 Nuremberg rally had 200,000 in attendance:

  • 152 searchlights were used as pillars of light around the audience, known as the Cathedral of Light

  • Films like Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl presented the strength and power of the Nazi Party at the Nuremberg rallies

The 1936 Berlin Olympics

• Hitler and Goebbels believed that success in sport was essential:

  • To “strengthen the character of the German people”

  • To promote the Nazi belief that Aryans were superior

• The 1936 Berlin Olympics were an opportunity for Hitler to show the might of Nazi Germany:

NOTE: Please insert the Berlin Olympics diagram

• Jesse Owens angered Hitler and the Nazis by winning four gold medals

• He was the most successful athlete at the games

  • Owens was an African American and so according to Nazi teachings 'racially inferior'

• Leni Riefenstahl directed the film Olympia, which was released in 1938

  • This film documents the events of the 1936 Berlin Olympics

How effective was propaganda in Nazi Germany?

• Goebbels' approach to propaganda appears to have been very effective

• The Nazi Party's approval ratings were very high throughout the 1930s

• However, it is impossible to know how many people said that they approved of the Nazis out of fear

  • There was enthusiasm for the Nazis and what they were doing for Germany and much of this was down to propaganda

  • But people also feared what would happen to them if they did not appear to enthusiastically approve of the Nazis