Nazi Propaganda

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 Nazi propaganda was to get into the minds of the public. The Nazis wanted to use their propaganda to have other people persuaded into joining the Nazis or to have the people too scared to do anything about them (try to stop them). They wanted to "spiritually influence the nation" to "enlighten" the people on the NSDAP policies and how they wanted to rule the state.

b. The means used to achieve those aims
They tried to get huge ideas across that were simple enough for the common man to understand. By doing this, they hoped that they could reach a majority of people and have them understand the bigger picture of the Nazis ideas. They liked the idea of constant repetition to get things stuck into the public's minds.

The Nazis used everything that they could to get their messages across through propaganda. They used the mass media (radio and press) to their advantage as well as almost all aspects of art. The Nazis also worked with schools to get to the youth and spread their propaganda.

c. Explain how the Nazis used the press, radio, and film as forms of propaganda. (Pgs. 247-253)
All of these forms of propaganda were used heavily by the Nazis because of how many people it reached and other factors. The people involved in the press (journalists, editors, writers, etc.) began to be rigorously controlled by the Nazis. The press were required by the state not to include anything in writing going against the nation or the Nazis.

Radio had already been regulated by the state for years but now it was even harsher. Radio was considered one of the greatest pieces that could be used for propaganda. This was because of the numbers of people that it could reach out to. Radio was able to transmit Hitler's key speeches so they everyone could hear them. Sirens began to ring when Hitler was about to give a speech and they were called "national moments".

Propaganda films were used to send out hidden messages while entertaining crowds of people. The state began to exercise control over films. Films were produced that were valuable in someway with propaganda from the Nazis. Anti-Semitic films started to be made to make the "Jewish problem" more of a household thing.

d. Explain Goebbels' contribution to the creation and development of the Third Reich
Goebbels was head of propaganda for the Nazis. He was in charge of basically overseeing that propaganda went well and stayed organized in Germany. His contribution to the development of the Third Reich was mainly because of propaganda and how it spread in the German public. Goebbels was a huge contribution to the Third Reich because of his involvement with propaganda and ability to spread it so widely in the state.

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 Nazis used activities like these to show how many people were in support and how much national pride there was in the state. Large rallies and festivals were used to show spuriousness with all of the people that showed up to them. If you didn't attend a festival you could also be met with some Gestapo (fear being used as well).

Sport was used to make the youth become fit and able to carry children or become soldiers. They were expected to live up to the standard of the Aryan race which included a fit physique. Mass gymnastics were used also as spectaculars and to show national pride. Hitler believed in bringing sports and military close together which encouraged a lot of the youth to join the military.

The autobahn was used to show how strong Germany was. They were able to build such an advanced road system before other countries even had highway systems. The autobahn was also made to bring Germany closer together. Although it wasn't all that much of a success (tanks couldn't fit and not many people owned cars) it was still a huge piece of propaganda.

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 wanted to replace most paintings with 'classy' Aryan artwork rather than some of the corrupt artwork from the past. Nazi art was to be painted at heroic and clear so that people would understand the messages which was the whole point of propaganda. With the paintings people started to look like the ideal Aryan human beings like healthy and strong peasants and supreme athletes. Propaganda was effective with paintings because it was to reach the masses along with being a popular source of entertainment for many.

Sculptures were more easily accessible to the public because they were usually toted at large and important buildings. They were used to show the strength and beauty of the Aryan people that could be made to look perfect. Sculptures were made with large muscles and faces that showed strength in the individual pictured.

Architecture was also a huge factor to Nazi propaganda. Architecture was similar to statues in the fact that it would be viewed by many people. Hitler wanted the intimidating style of tall and straightened buildings that were similar to the neo-classical architecture. Hitler believed that the buildings were to be used to show the strength and power that the Nazis had. He believed that it would strengthen their authority.

The Depression and the Nazis

How did the Depression Help the Nazis?

After reading pages 191-194, do you agree with Goebbels' view that people rallied to support Hitler for positive reasons - or do you think that Gordon Craig (bottom, pg. 193"negative cohesion") was right that people supported the Nazis out of fear and disillusionment?

Work through questions 1 - 3 to help you make up your mind.

1. Look carefully at Sources 3-7 and 9. For each source, write two sentences explaining whether you think it is evidence that:

• Supports the view of Goebbels
• Supports the view of Craig
• Could be used to support either interpretation

Source 3:

I believe that this source would support the views od Craig more than Goebbels. Once the people of Germany realized that the economy wasn't changing for the better anymore they sought for Nazis because they hated Communists so much.

Source 4:

I believe that this source could be used for Goebbels' interpretation of positive reasoning. This woman is happy that finally there is discipline and leadership being marched through the streets of her country and the Nazi party will continue this.

Source 5:

Source 5 is an example of the two ideas coming together. For the argument of Craig, since the majority hated the Treaty of Versailles they used that as a common ground and for the argument of Goebbels, it would make Germany a better place without the Treaty.

Source 6:

I believe this is also an example of both. This source just shows how popular the Nazi party was becoming which can make a good argument for both positive followers and negative.

Source 7:

This source is definitely an example of Craig's ideas. Because the bulk of the population disliked the communists, the common ideas of disliking communists was a large point that the Nazis drived off of.

Source 9:

This source could also be an example of Craig's ideas. Showing the negative side of the depression and how the majority of the people were middle class needed the basic necessities that the Nazis promised.

2. Now work through the text and other sources on pages 191-94. Make a list of examples and evidence that seem to support either viewpoint.

• Source 1 - possible Craig viewpoint, negative living conditions may bring the people in the photo to vote with the Nazis for the sake of living standards
• Source 2 - like source 1 in negative conditions (unemployment) could drive people to sway with the Nazi party
• Nazi campaigning - Goebbels - mainly because the Nazis were the ones doing the campaigning but it was so good it may have engulfed people
• Communist hate around Germany - may have forced people into siding with the Nazis for the benefit of the doubt (Craig)
• People who wanted traditional social values may have sided with the Nazis for benefit (Craig)

3. Decide how far you agree with each of the following three statements and give them a score on a scale of 1-5. And then, write a short paragraph explaining your score for each statement.

a. Very few people fully supported the Nazis (Score = 4) Explanation:

I mostly agree with this statement that very few people fully supported the Nazis. I believe that most people saw the Nazi party as a new and promising future that could possibly be the final step in making Germany better. I think many people were merely following the Nazis seeing that they were the closest to their beliefs. For example, with the widely spread ideas of Communist dislike the Nazis played on this and often referred to their dislike with the Communist Party in Germany. I do believe that many people did fully support the Nazi Party at this time because of the failing government and economy on the other hand. I believe many people did support them because they were looking for change that didn't include Communists or people "responsible" for the failure of Germany.

b. The Key factor was the economic depression. Without it, the Nazis would have remained a minority fringe party. (Score = 4) Explanation:

The economic depression was a huge factor and the most prevalent for the Nazi rise to power but I do believe other aspects were responsible for the Nazis rise out of minority. Things like poor political leadership also contributed to the rise of the NSDAP. With Germany being a many party state during the time of the economic depression, this helped them because they were fans of a single party state which is what they sought for Germany to become. But also, the economic depression was a huge help with Nazi propaganda and a driving force for people to start to support them.

c. The politicians of the Weimar Republic were mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazis. (Score = 2) Explanation:

The politicians of the Weimar Republic were somewhat responsible for the rise of the Nazis but not completely. I would argue the conditions of the state to be the most significant way that the NSDAP rised to power. With the prevalent political and economic problems that were adressed by the Nazis, it was clear that this was their biggest help. Although politicians in the Weimar Republic were making the Weimar such a failure which then helped the Nazis, the issues that the state was going through was definitely the aspect mainly responsible for the rise of the Nazi party.

Nazi Ideology

Consider your homework on the Nazi 25-Point Program, Hitler's writings in Mein Kampf, and Hitler's background. Take all of your knowledge of the above and develop several solid paragraphs that discuss and analyze Nazi ideology. I've provided you several guiding questions below.

Ideology: A statement of broad principles and vision for the future

Key questions to consider when analyzing the ideology of a leader:

• What ideas are proposed?
• What issues or grievances do they address?
• Do they represent a new form or structure for the society?
• Do they introduce entirely new concepts, values or goals to the society?
• Have they been inspired by a particular individual, school of thought or philosophy?
• How relevant or effective are they in attracting support within the local, regional and international community?
• Is it revolutionary, visionary, or inspirational?
• Can it inspire support, cause excitement? Does it appeal to broad sectors of society? Who does it attract?
• Which groups in the society will feel challenged or threatened by the new ideas?

When Hitler was rising to power, he utilized his different ideologies in order to make the NSDAP the main part in Germany. With his propaganda, Hitler was able to address the problems in Germany that were on everybody's minds. He was able to capture the minds of the German people with his eloquence and charismatic speaking that included his 25 point program that he though was surely going to better Germany and convince the people that the NSDAP was the right vote. His words were inspirational, revolutionary and visionary to a people tired of the economic and political sufferings of Germany.

He was very effective when persuading the people of Germany to vote for him. He made them think that Germany would be in the hands of someone great when he was to take power and that they should not fear the future. They needed guidance at this time and saw Hitler as someone who would help them even if they didn't believe everything he said.

Hitler gave the people of Germany things to look forward to in the state regarding politics and government. He was planning on making the state a single party and making the NSDAP the leader because democracy was so "weak" and capitalism was only stealing from the people of Germany. He promised them that they would have a strong leader. Regarding the economy, Hitler told the people that he would help the crisis by proposing a new idea. He thought that if the people worked for the state, the state would in turn work for the people and make everything better. People were very happy with the ideologies of Hitler and thought that he would bring new change to a struggling Germany.

Hitler's Background

One of the crucial elements in writing an essay about a dictator is understanding their background and how it influenced their early thinking and behavior during their rise to power. Hitler's background is extremely important as it influenced his interactions with the NSDAP. Using the information on the reading, sift through the most important aspects about Hitler's early life to be able to develop two strong paragraphs that are relevant in his rise to power up to 1923.

NOTE: Use only the most important information. Try to avoid the "trivia" because it will bog down your writing. Also, you may bullet point this information, but then you must still write it out in paragraph form, as you would on an essay. (The bullet points will help you when studying.) HINT: I strongly suspect this question will appear on Wednesday's test.

Hitler's Background

Discuss Hitler's background to 1923 and how it influenced his rise to power with the NSDAP.

Hitler's Past

• Born Austrian - continues to live there for years
• Lives in the slums of Vienna w/ Jewish and Marxist advocates -- begins his anti-Semitic and anti-marxism feelings
• Moves to Munich, Germany in 1913

Hitler's Character

• Shy, awkward, moody, lonely
• Contemptuous of mankind >:(
• Tremendous energy and willpower
• Single minded fanatic

Propaganda Skills

• Great Orator and captured the audience w/ his speeches
• Turned what the crowd wanted to hear into words

Ideas he had

• Social Darwinism/survival of the fittest (German race should override all others)
• All Germans should join together - Pan-Germanism
• "Lebensraum" Germany must expand and become more of a world power to feed growing population
• Believer in socialism - stressing the needs of the national community
• Anti-Marxism and the idea of Karl Marx because he was a non-religious Jew
• Anti-democracy - it provided weak government and needed to be replaced with a single party state
• Anti-capitalism - power that came from being very rich - owners of the big businesses and firms; the Jews

The beginning of Hitler's life and when he moved to Germany:

Hitler was born Austrian to the Schicklgruber family. He continues to live in Austria for many years. After being denied to a school for the arts that he strived to get into in Vienna, he drifts around for years living in the slums of Vienna. In these slums he was forced to live with different minorities including people that had different political and religious views. He began to get anti-semitic, anti-marxist, and anti-democratic reactions from living amongst people that practiced these different views. After being drafted for the Austrian-Hungary army, he flees to Munich and lives there until he is called back to Austria.

Hitler's character and propaganda skills:

Hitler had an odd combination of character traits and interesting propaganda skills. He was a shy and awkward man that really hated mankind. Although he was filled with negative traits, he also acquired tremendous energy and he had a lot of willpower. These positive traits were an excellent edition for his propaganda skills. He was able to give an extremely powerful speech because of his excessive willpower and his tremendous amount of energy. He was able to captivate the audience with his speeches and he was able to put into words the thoughts of the audience members. His speeches and propaganda work helped him greatly in his successes with the NSDAP.

Hitler's ideas:

The ideas that Hitler had about struggling Germany definitely helped him in his success with the NSDAP. First he believed deeply in Social-Darwinism where there should be one superior race in Germany and to eventually override all others. He also believed in the popular idea of "Lebensraum" and expending Germany to its full potential all over the world and increase its strength. This would have made the people of Germany praise Hitler because of the harsh land terms of the Treaty of Versailles and it would improve the countries the low moral. His ideas of socialism were also praised by most of the Germans because Hitler wanted to focus on the national community where the people will provide for the state and in turn the state will provide for the people. He was against Marxism and democracy because he believed that they both provided a weak government and that the state would be much more powerful and successful with a single-party. He also hated capitalism and believed that it would promote Jewish big-business owners that will take all the money from the people.

Hitler's Ideals Expressed in Mein Kampf

Volume One, Chapter Six:"War Propaganda" In this part of Hitler's Mien Kampf Hitler explains what he believes is necessary to win the popular vote of the German people. He believed that the people who were already educated about the Nazi party didn't need to be further educated and that the people who knew nothing about the party needed to understand so that everyone would know about them. He believed that the emotional aspect of the crowds needs to be adressed in order to actually pursued them enough to go with the Nazis. He said that the speeches had to be brief and something that the public understand in order for the mto retain what they are told. They believed that slashing the enemy in propaganda was a bad thing. Hitler lays out a good way to prepare the army with his example of British and American soldiers being warned about the Germans.
Volume One, Chapter Ten:"Causes of the Collapse"
In this chapter Hitler explains what he believed was the cause of the collapse and how he sought to change things. He believed that it wasn't what the popular belief was (that the War had caused it) but rather the Jewish people were the cause for the collapse. He explains that the Jewish people's religion is based on lies which ultimately ruined the state. He believed that a large part of the economic downfall had to do with the disappearance of the right of public property and the national ownership of stocks. He says that the Jewish people had controlled the businesses and were turning the country into turmoil. He said that the Jews had been slowly trying to "break the backbone" of Germany and slowly take away the nationalism of the people.
Volume One, Chapter Eleven:"Nation and Race"
Hitler believed that there should be one dominant race in Germany. This would be the national race. He says that a consequence of this is the 'delimitation' of the different races that naturally come to Germany. He disliked the idea of Aryan people having children with non-Aryan people and compares this to the Americas and the different peoples that live there. He wants to address the problem of Jewish people immediately and make sure that they no longer contribute to the racial problems. They need to also address the issue of the blood-Germans and the 'fake' Germans.
Volume Two, Chapter Fourteen:"Eastern Orientation or Eastern Policy"
Hitler addresses the issues of national power and government in this section. He says that they must 'unflinchingly' take back the land that they are entitled to. He uses an analogy to blood sacrifice of one to the government to show how the public will work hard for the government and the government will work hard for the people. He says that the 'pen-pushers' are the people that are ruining the country. He continues to talk about how they will eventually conquer more land that other people are going to destroy with their ideas someday. He says that it is their right to have land and that they will become a world power or they will not be satisfied. Germany must provide to its citizens. This will probably look really good to the people of Germany and get them excited about the Nazi Party.

Hitler's Background

Hitler's Past

• Born Austrian - continues to live there for years
• Lives in the slums of Vienna w/ Jewish and Marxist advocates -- begins his anti-Semitic and anti-marxism feelings
• Moves to Munich, Germany in 1913

Hitler's Character

• Shy, awkward, moody, lonely
• Contemptuous of mankind >:(
• Tremendous energy and willpower
• Single minded fanatic

Propaganda Skills

• Great Orator and captured the audience w/ his speeches
• Turned what the crowd wanted to hear into words

Ideas he had

• Social Darwinism/survival of the fittest (German race should override all others)
• All Germans should join together - Pan-Germanism
• "Lebensraum" Germany must expand and become more of a world power to feed growing population
• Believer in socialism - stressing the needs of the national community
• Anti-Marxism and the idea of Karl Marx because he was a non-religious Jew
• Anti-democracy - it provided weak government and needed to be replaced with a single party state
• Anti-capitalism - power that came from being very rich - owners of the big businesses and firms; the Jews

The Munich Putsch and the Nazis 25-Point Program

The Munich Putsch

1. Finish / Transcribe your paragraph response to the failed Munich Putsch. You started it / completed it during class today. Please keep in mind that next week you will be asked an open-ended question regarding the causes and significance of the Munich Putsch.

The Munich Putsch seemed to be a "failed" attempt for Hitler to spread Nazi ideas in the Bavarian state. There were different reasons that the Munich Putsch failed. One of these reasons was because it was poorly planned and the Nazis were not ready for power. They were not organized enough for the march and everything they had planned turned sporadic and disorganized. Another reason the Putsch failed was that Hilter's drive was low. If it wasn't for Ludendorff marching on, the Putsch would have been a completely ended when Hitler ran away because of his dislocated shoulder. It also seemed like the crowds at the Beer Hall that were once eagerly listening to Hitler's speeches had stopped and lost intrest all together. It seemed as though the Nazi Party was on its death bed and there would be no victory that they once thought would come.

It turned out that in the longrun many of the "failed" aspects in the attempt turned out to be slow victory for the Nazis. Once the Munich Putsch was over, the Nazis had time to figure everything out and learn from the mistakes that they had made. Hitler was given time in a comfortable jail to think about the different policies he was previously trying to enforce and how he could change them. He also had time to finish writing his book Mein Kampf a success for him that would pave the road to the beliefs he was trying to persuade the German people with. Overall the fail of the Munich Putsch had given Hitler time to think about what he could change to the government to make the people of Germany side with him, getting him the all important popular vote.

The Nazis 25-point Program

2. Based on the 25-point Program, what were the main ideas of the NSDAP when Hitler joined it? (He helped framed these points after joining in 1919, along with Nazi founder Anton Drexler. Hitler would replace Drexler as leader in 1921.) The 25-point Program is at my website. Please keep in mind that on next week's exam you will be asked to discuss the main ideas of the NSDAP.

• Exclude the Jewish people from the Government
• Expand the German Empire (get Germany + Austria back) - Lebensraum
• Get rid of the Treaty of Versailles
• Only German blood can live in Germany -- Except the Jews
• Everyone must work except for the mothers
• Nationalization of Industry
• Kill the criminals
• Education will be reformed -- taught the "Germany way"
• Education of the gifted children
• Encouraging sports like gymnastics and swimming
• Create national Army
• The state must provide for its people
• The people must provide for the state