Methods of Propaganda

Methods of Propaganda

1. Newspapers

   • Censorship
     • Editors held responsible for an oppositional articles
       • Editors Law
   • Step-by-step
     • 1. Socialists and Communist closed
       • 2. Nazis bought out newspapers (27 daily newspapers with 2.4million circulation)
         • 3. News agencies state controlled-censored before reaching press
           • 4. Daily briefing for journalists
   • Daily briefings
     • Issued details of what could and could not be printed
     • Often issued complete articles which newspapers were obliged to print
     • By late 1930's 50% of newspaper articles had been issued by DNB
   • Purge
     • Socialist and Communists publishing houses were shut down
     • Increased direct ownership over newspapers

2. Radios

   • Plays and talk shows focused on Nazi Ideology - Based on the theme of race, blood and the Volksgemeinschaft
   • Only Hitler made radio speeches - not too political
     • 50 speeches in 1933 alone Over 4.5million German households in possession of a radio
     • Efficient means of communication
   • 13% purged after coming under state control Dismissed on political or racial grounds

3. Posters

   • Glorify War
   • Spread Nazi Ideology
   • Raise Morale

4. Parades and Spectacles

   • Nuremburg Rallies
     • 1937 - 100,000 attendance
       • Used to create a sense of a large, well-supported and disciplined organisation
       • Discipline was highlighted by theatricality of the marches and the uniforms members worn
     • Made people feel they belonged
       • United behind the regime Expected to hang swatika flags out of their windows on parade days
   • Book Burning
   • Torchlight Procession - caught people's attentions by the dramatic procession
     • Support of 100,000 SA men - shows their strength and mass
     • Marks the beginning of the National Revolution - obliged to salute the SA and SS units as they marched past
   • 12 new national festivals

5. Sculptures and paintings

   • Edited to place Hitler at important events
   • Glorified Medieval Germany

6. Cinema and Theatre

   • Aims
     • Subconsciously delivering subliminal messages and reinforced prejudices
     • Understood it was a form of escapism so blatantly political films were too serious and risked boring the audience
   • Minister of Propaganda privately bought out the 4 major film companies in Germany
   • Reich Film Chamber
     • Regulate the content of films Foreign films not banned outright but were carefully examined
       • Most American films banned with the exception of Disney films Banned pacifists films

7. Education

   • Editing Text Books
     • Maths - war calculations
     • History - Treaty of Versailles, November Criminals
     • Girls taught how to be good wife and mothers
   • Only Nazi Teachers

8. Music

   • Nazi Songs
   • Banning of Some Music Forms
     • The Swing Movement - Rebelious teenagers
     • Jazz- it's foreign black roots Experimental music Jewish Composers.
     • Aims to write opera which arouse patriotic and nationalist feeling
   • Reich Music Chamber - control music production Promote Nazi approved music

9. Censorship

   • Jews, Communists and Socialists
     • Ban on political parties, publication of newspapers, books, pamphlets and posters
     • Purged from media and art
   • Newspapers
     • Editors were held responsible detailed daily instructions of what is and what is not to be published
   • Books
     • Goebbles drew up a list of 'damaging and undesireable literature'
     • Gestapo and SD had rights to search any bookshops and libraries
   • Films - Viewing of scripts before films were even made
     • Only 14% politically themed - where people went to get away from real life

10. Olympic Games

    • Positive Image
      • No expense spared in building the Olympic Stadium which held 100,000 people. Became a symbol of the rivival and confidence of German people under the Nazi Regime
      • Open Ceremony -Hindenburg flew over the stadium trailing the Olympic flag - thousands of people in a choir sang the Horst Wessel song - Swastika flags were flow with Olypic flags around Berlin
    • Propaganda
      • Anti-Semitic propaganda was stopped for the duration of the games
      • 'Jews not welcome' signs removed Police rounded up known criminals and 'workshy' and held them in detention while the games were in progress
    • Sports
      • Great emphasis was placed on sport The master race was physically and mentally superior so for schools and youth organisations many sport activities were introduced
      • no Jews on the German Olympic team and they did win 89 medals, however the star of the Olympics was black American Jesse Owens who won 4 gold medals