Propaganda In The Holocaust

Through the events of the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis, is responsible for the executions of nearly six million Jewish people. The Holocaust was caused by a strong sense of racism, or the belief that the German race was superior to the Jewish race. The Germans, however, were not the first group to develop a strong hatred for the Jewish people; throughout history, Jews have often served as scapegoat for the rest of the world’s problems. Hilter was able to convince the Germans to kill the Jews by using propaganda, building upon the European hatred for Jews, and by exercising his power over the Germans.
Hitler was able to convince the Germans to hate the Jewish people through the use of propaganda. A strategy used by many

world leaders throughout history, propaganda is simply, “information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.” Germany’s Labor Chief, Dr. Robert Ley once wrote, “Only what Adolf Hitler, our Fuhrer, allows, or does not allow, is our conscience.” The essence of what Dr.

Ley is writing here is that during Hitler’s reign, people were not allowed to disagree with the government—people were expected to listen completely to everything that Hitler told them. Similarly, a Nazi legal commentator wrote, “There are no personal liberties of the individual which fall outside the realm of the state and which must be respected by the state…there can no longer be any question of a private sphere free of state influence…” Once again, this quotation explains that during Hitler’s rule, people were not allowed to have thoughts that differed from those of the government. Another instance in which Hitler used propaganda is in the Summer of 1936, when he sends a letter to party leaders in Bavaria, stating “All signs, banners,

etc. with the wording “Jews unwanted here” or likewise to be removed immediately or at the latest by January 15, 1936…Foreigners who arrive in our area and who see the above-mentioned signs might conclude that we still encounter difficulties in the Jewish question.” This message is propaganda at its finest; it is clear that Germany has not settled the Jewish question, as shortly after, nearly six million Jews would be executed. Hitler simply wanted it to seem like the issue had been solved, as many tourists would be coming to Germany for the Olympic Games, so that the German government would not be criticized by tourists.
In addition to using propaganda, Hitler also used his power to convince Germans to kill the Jews.

In a telegram, dated November 10, 1938, Hitler sends a message to police instructing them to “seize all archives to be found in all synagogues and offices of the Jewish communities.” By writing this, Hitler is exercising his power over the German police, by instructing the officers to take records from the Jewish people. He also instructs the police to ensure that business owned by non-Jewish people should be protected first against damage. These instructions came one day after Kristallnacht, or “night of the broken glass,” an attack in which Nazis violently raided Jewish businesses, houses, and

synagogues.
Finally, Hitler was able to build upon the pre-existing hatred of the Jewish people to help him convince the Germans to kill the Jews. In 1543, Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation wrote: “Their synagogues or churches should be set on fire, and whatever does not burn up should be covered with dirt.” Luther also called for their houses to be burnt, their prayer books taken, and their travelling privileges to be cut off. This quotation highlights perfectly the deep sense of racism many Europeans felt towards the Jewish people.
To conclude, Hitler was able to convince the Germans to kill the Jews through the use of propaganda, exercising his power over them, and by building upon the pre-existing European hatred of Jewish people. As a result of propaganda, the German people held positive views of the German government—because all they heard were positive things about the government, and they were afraid to have views different than the government. Hitler also exercised his tremendous amount of power of his citizens—by instructing the police to favor non-Jewish people and businesses. Through the use of the above mentioned strategies, Hitler was successful in brutally executing millions of Jewish people in Germany.