The Forms of Propaganda Used by the State in Nazi Germany

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The Forms of Propaganda Used by the State in Nazi Germany

One of the purposes of dictatorship was to give the Nazis control of

people's lives. The more control they had, the more easily they could

put their aims into effect. The job of controlling people thus became

one of the main tasks of the Nazi state.

Party propaganda was evident throughout German society and served as a

means by which the state could effectively reach every German and

summon absolute loyalty to the Nazi party.

Following the Nazi party's rise to power in 1933, Hitler established

the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph

Goebbels - who was a master of propaganda that used all means at his

disposal to perpetuate the Hitler myth and propagate Nazi values. The

Ministry's aim was to eliminate all original thought and ensure that

the Nazi message was successfully communicated through the widest

variety of forms of communication available. Propaganda was used to

promote the ideological goals of the Nazi regime, convert passive

acceptance of Nazi rule into active support, stress the need for

'lebensraum' and the overturning of the Treaty of Versailles. In

addition to these aims, propaganda was also intended to conjure

beliefs of Aryan supremacy, the Jewish menace and communist danger.

Propaganda became a key element in welding together the political

attitudes of the nation. People in Nazi Germany could not talk, write

or even think freely. Goebbels used every known technique of

propaganda to make sure of this.

The Germans, with the encouragement of the Nazis, were enthusiastic

newspaper readers. Germany had over 4700 daily newspapers i...

... middle of paper ...

...ika that appeared

to be lying on an angle, to produce an even more dynamic illusion of

circular movement. It came to be the most powerful image of Nazism.

Combined, these methods of propaganda were extremely effective in

helping to Nazis gain the loyalty or the Germans.

It gave the Nazis ultimate control of people's lives, as well as all

forms of expression and communication. The propaganda, which was

deliberately aimed at the masses, effectively served several purposes.

It portrayed Hitler as a strong leader to whom every German should

give their loyalty, reinforced beliefs of Aryan supremacy, the Jewish

menace and communist danger. Additionally, these forms of propaganda

targeted the emotions of the German people and therefore pushed the

goals of the Nazi party in relation to military and territorial

expansion.

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