Influence of Nazi Germany WWII Propaganda Films on the German Film Industry

2202 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Assess the cause of nationalism

Intro
German cinema was greatly affected during the Nazi movement between 1933 and 1945. Once appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 Hitler wasted no time and almost immediately began working on his propaganda strategy. Typically “propaganda targets a mass audience and relies on mass media to persuade. Propaganda is aimed at large numbers of people and, as such, relies on mass communication to reach its audience” (Gass, 14). The Nazi party used film propaganda to brainwash the German people, distract them from the harsh reality of the Nazi party, and attempt to intimidate the enemy. Hitler knew propaganda entailed mass persuasion and he knew just how to get his message out there; film. It was through the use of propaganda, largely film that made the Nazi party so powerful as they redefined propaganda.
Psychological Effects
Hitler’s strategy was to exploit those who he considered unworthy through the use of preexisting stereotypes. These stereotypes were already familiar to the population and by bringing national attention to the stereotypes through the use of film the Nazi party was able to make the population believe the exaggerated negative stereotypes to be true. By using propaganda films the Nazi party was able to get much of the German population to “freely” accept their skewed reality as truth. Oftentimes these films portrayed Jews as financially greedy and compared them to street rats. This of course got many in the crowd to feel this to be true and true for all of jewish decent. While portraying the Jews as a terrible nuisance Hitler’s propaganda films also showed German soldiers winning battles in hopes of the viewer feeling more patriotic.
According to Sakmyster often times the audiences reac...

... middle of paper ...

... Faces: Strategies Of Racist Cinema In The Third Reich." Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal Of Jewish Studies 28.1 (2009): 80- 103. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2013.
"Joseph Goebbels." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"Joseph Goebbels." Home. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Sakmyster, Thomas. "Nazi Documentaries Of Intimidation: `Feldzug In (1940) `Feuertaufe' (1940) And `Sieg Im.." Historical Journal Of Film, Radio & Television 16.4 (1996): 485. Historical Abstracts. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Welch, David. The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 1993. Print.
Wireless to THE NEW,YORK TIMES. "REICH REORGANIZES ITS FILM INDUSTRY." New York Times (1923-Current file): 22. May 06 1937. ProQuest. Web. 13 Nov. 2013 .

Show More
Related

  • To What Extent Did Film Propaganda during the Second Red Scare Influence Anti-Communist Hysteria?

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    The focus of this investigation is the ability of leaders to appeal to human emotion through propaganda. Propaganda became especially prevalent in the United States of America during the Second Red Scare between 1947 and 1954. Propaganda assisted in the infiltration of anti-communist ideals. This examination specifically focuses on the extent to which film propaganda during this time period influenced anti-communist hysteria. The movies produced during the Cold War glorified American democracy and an evaluation is completed discussing the impact of this glorification on society. The analysis emphasizes how these beliefs infiltrated all genres of moviemaking, according to researchers of film propaganda and American politics. Several secondary sources are used to look at film propaganda produced during the era of McCarthyism and the anti-communist hysteria existing exclusively in this time period.

    Read More

  • Compare American Propaganda Film And German Propaganda Film In WWII

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Compare American Propaganda film to German Propaganda film in WWII and analyse what values each reflect about the respective country Propaganda Films purposely try to convince or influence the opinions or behavior of the viewer. Propaganda is defined as, “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one 's cause or to damage an opposing cause” In WWII American Propaganda Film and German Propaganda film had many similarities and differences, each reflecting the values of … about the respective country. Although there were various aims for propaganda films in WWII, including ones that aimed to psychologically prepare and mobilize audience for war and uphold and strengthen morale during war rations messages, attempted to enlist President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's Office of War Information (OWI) had considerable power over American motion picture content, from script approval, final cut and the ability to deny an export license for a movie. The main things they did was make sure the movie would portray an idealized image of a harmonious American society united in the fight against a common enemy and help the war effort. OWI were staffed by many people including some of America 's most famous intellectuals Elmer Davis, Robert Sherwood, and Archibald MacLeish whereas Hitler’s Propaganda Ministry and the Chamber of Films was led only by Joseph Goebbels, who worked directly under Hitler, and controlled every aspect of the industry.

    Read More

  • Sebastion Haffner's Defying Hitler: How Did Hitler Rise To Power?

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everything that Hitler did from speeches to drives through town and even Hitler youth events everything was made to be dramatic. Hitler was very successful in making himself and the Nazi party look like they were above the rest of the people and the ones to lead Germany out of struggles and that all faith and pride should be given to him as he is the savior. The ways Hitler were able to gives speeches and, start off slow and yell passionately resonated with the German people and would captivate them. Hitler was a charming man who was able to inspire morale and give the people hope of Germany rising from the embarrassment of World War I. “You do not want to let yourself be morally corrupted by hate and suffering, you just want to remain good-natured, peaceful, amiable, and nice. But how to avoid hate and suffering if you are daily bombarded with things that cause them?” Hitler was able to lead such a campaign by starting off slowly and then building it to the level it got while right in front of everyone. . “There was not one single example of energetic defense, of courage or principle. There was only panic, flight and desertion” (p132). When Germany realized at what had happened it was already to late to stop it. Hitler had successfully brought the Nazis from nothing to a ruling

    Read More

  • Negative Propaganda In World War II

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, even though the Nazi political party was known for their constant dependence on advertising, throughout the World War II and all history this king of propaganda has been no stranger to any type of government. Its power should never be underestimated since it has the ability to be used as a weapon of political warfare and determine the magnitude of the sovereignty of a particular government, in other words, it can make or break a social movement. Works Cited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_propaganda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_propaganda_during_World_War_II http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_effective_was_Government_propaganda_in_World_War_1 http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/voices/testimonies/life/backgd/before.html http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_in_nazi_germany.htm http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/goeb36.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/statements.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/statements.htm https://www.msu.edu/navarro6/srop.html The Hunger Games Left to Tell Enciclopedia Salvat

    Read More

  • The Effectiveness of Hitler's Pre-World War II Propaganda

    2963 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...se through means of persuasion. Propaganda was the second most powerful means of getting support within Germany, but it was most effective in getting foreigners to stand bye idly while the Nazi's committed their crimes against the Jews and other minorities. Germany received respect from the foreign press for its efficiency in the Olympics, which was a precursor to the `efficiency' they showed in slaughtering millions of innocent captives in concentration camps. Yet the Nazi's, lead by their charismatic leader, were able to pass their laws in a legitimate fashion, and persuade the world to look the other way. The world stood by in fear and awe, hoping the storm would just blow over, but by September 1939 Hitler and the Nazi's had progressed too far, and there was no stopping them from undertaking in what would be the most lethal war in the history of the world.

    Read More

  • Propaganda During World War Two

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    During World War II propaganda was ubiquitous. It consisted of a wide range of carriers including leaflets, radio, television, and most importantly posters. Posters were used based on their appeal: they were colorful, creative, concise, and mentally stimulating. Posters often portrayed the artist's views on the war. They demonstrated the artist concern for the war, their hopes for the war, and reflected the way enemies were envisioned. Posters also show a nations political status: they reflect a nations allies and enemies, how the nation saw itself, and its greatest hopes and fears of the war.

    Read More

  • Nazi Entertainment Films

    1585 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nazi Entertainment Films Kracauer correctly conceives of Nazi entertainment films as a component of a larger program of Nazi propaganda; however, a successful propaganda program need not achieve its mission unequivocally as Kracauer claims. Instead, Nazi films may achieve their ideological goals by channeling the desires and shaping the identities of moviegoers. Nazi feature films created an illusion of a romanticized private life that allowed German citizens to briefly indulge their desires in escapist fantasies while keeping them firmly committed to Nazi ideology. The idea that film inhabited a private sphere beyond the reach of the Nazi political machine is another Ufa illusion; the ProMi used film to further its political program. Kracauer’s hypothesis that “all Nazi films were more or less propaganda” is aligned with the central theses of Witte, Rentschler, and Schulte-Sasse.

    Read More

  • Psychological Impact of Nazi Propaganda on German Citizens

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Nazis are infamous for their heavy use of propaganda during their reign in the Third Reich, they used many means of propaganda such as posters, cartoons, radio, film, etc. The German citizens’ constant exposure to all of this propaganda from all directions had a deep psychological and psychoanalytical impact on them, it redefined their identity and who they were as well as what they thought of the world around them. Nazi propaganda often had deep symbolic meaning usually associated with anti-semitism and German nationalism, these elements were already present in the minds of the majority of Germans so it wasn’t hard for Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Nazi party to further provoke and enrage the emotions of people concerning these things, they merely had to tap into these pre disposed emotions in a way that would have the most favourable psychological impact for the Nazis. Some of the opinions and mindsets that German citizens had may have been there even before the Nazis came into power and made it seemed like they were brainwashing people with their propaganda, but with what justification can it be said that Nazi propaganda had a psychological and psychoanalytic impact on the German population to a great extent, rather than it being the work of pre set psychological states of mind of people due to the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, Hyperinflation, and other sources which may have led the German population to support and hold anti-semitistic and nationalistic ideologies.

    Read More

  • Daily Life in Nazi Germany

    3128 Words  | 7 Pages

    Buildings in Germany were meant to last a thousand years and were built to represent mediaeval themes. Film in Nazi Germany glorified the party, Adolph Hitler, and martyrdom for Nazism. In their desire to establish a total state, the Nazis understood the importance of “selling” their ideology to the youth.

    Read More

  • Holocaust Propaganda Research Paper

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    They used the Propaganda to get more people on their side to show they were doing the right thing. There were several audiences for Nazi propaganda. Germans were reminded of the struggle against foreign enemies and Jewish subversion. During periods preceding legislation or executive measures against Jews, propaganda campaigns created an atmosphere tolerant of violence against Jews, particularly in 1935 (before the Nuremberg Race Laws of September) and in 1938 (prior to the barrage of anti semitic economic legislation following Kristallnacht). This shows they targeted children because they were susceptible to info that they didn't know was right. They used The most susceptible mind to put that message out to the world by crept in the children that actually were friends with pop possibly Jewish people they didn't care they wanted to get the message

    Read More

  • The Holocaust: Intenctionalism And The Holocaust

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since anti-Semitism was already present, it made manipulating the German public into perceiving the Jew as an enemy an easy task. In political psychology it is believed that politics can cue identity and this is clear when it comes to German society and Hitler. He was able to play on the fear of others and the threat to German culture in order to come to power and fulfill his plan of the extermination of the Jew. Which is what intentionalist believe was what he had set out to do from the beginning. Like Karl Dietrich Bracher states, “Hitler was the most radical expressor and the most effective propagator of a set of ideas and emotions forming the nucleus of extreme German nationalism, that is, anti-democratism, imperialism, and racism.” Hitler was the perfect leader for a nation that was disappointed with the Weimar government and that had a strong sense of nationalism. He tapped into this deep love of nation and used it to turn Germans against Germans, making them fear and hate one another. Intentionalists believe that without Hitler there would have been no

    Read More

  • World War II and Hollywood

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.

    Read More

  • The Film The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Films like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are so important, we should never forget what horrendous evil Hitler unleashed. Neither should we forget that it was ordinary people who became caught in his genocide. The power of his rhetoric and personality, coming at just the opportune time in German history, won the nation to his cause. People became mass murderers, others looked the other way while it happened. It was easier for the people to believe propaganda, go with the flow and keep quiet instead of standing against the horrid cause. They did not want to face the

    Read More

  • America's Role In The Film Industry During World War II

    238 Words  | 1 Pages

    The film industry during World War II played a big role in the war. German Filmmakers were constantly showing false propaganda and films about the United States to make America look like they were the bad people. Meanwhile, American filmmakers slowly realized the type of films German filmmakers were putting out. Sergeant York and The Great Dictator were films that were put out before Pearl Harbor since Americans were still blind to what was really happening overseas. However, when America did get involved in the war many films were shown how females weren’t frail but they played an important role in the war just like the men. The American government wanted play a role in the film industry because they really wanted to show the American people

    Read More

  • Who Should Be Blamed for the Holocaust?

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hitler used propaganda and manufacturing enemies such as Jews and five million other people, to prepare the country for war. This shows Hitler’s attempt of genocide toward the Jewish race and other races.

    Read More

More about Influence of Nazi Germany WWII Propaganda Films on the German Film Industry

Open Document