Nazi Propaganda (Edexcel GCSE History)

How did Nazi Propaganda Impact Nazi Germany - Summary

Fear and intimidation through the police forces was not enough for the Nazis to guarantee compliance with their totalitarian regime. 

The Nazis - championed by Joseph Goebbels - used propaganda and censorship to control and influence the attitudes of the German people.

Control over the distribution of information enabled the Nazis to communicate their beliefs and ideas to society. In the 1930s, newspapers and radio were the two main forms of media outlets, which the Nazis quickly pounced upon to distribute information.

Demonstrating to the German people the power and strength of the Nazi regime was very important. Rallies such as that at Nuremberg from 1934 were opportunities to present the unity and organisation of this new Nazi-led Germany in contrast to the disorganised and helpless Weimar Republic.

Hitler and the Nazis were also able to promote the superiority of the Aryan race in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. However, a well-known athlete by the name of Jesse Owens dispelled the idea of a ‘master race’ by collecting four gold medals. Nevertheless, the Berlin Olympics served as a vehicle to further promote the strength and capability of the Nazi regime.

Who was Joseph Goebbels?

Propaganda and censorship  

• Police forces repressed and removed any opposition to the Nazi Party

• The Nazis also sought to influence people’s attitudes

• Propaganda and censorship controlled what people saw, heard and read

Joseph Goebbels 

• As Minister for People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels was responsible for ensuring all areas of German life were controlled:

• He created Nazi policies towards media, sport, culture and the Arts

The Nazi use of Media

Newspapers 

• Journalists were briefed on what they could and could not publish

• Control of newspapers allowed the Nazis to spread their messages to the public:

  • They controlled most newspapers by 1939, compared to 3% in 1933

  • Around 1,600 newspapers were closed down in 1935

• Der Völkischer Beobachte (The People’s Observer) was the official newspaper of the Nazi Party and was published daily:

  • It reached 1.1 million people by 1941

Radio 

• Radios were an increasingly popular tool to communicate political messages:

  • Goebbels had relied on radio during the pivotal election years of 1932 and 1933

• After 1933, Goebbels censored most radio stations. The stations were used to spread Nazi beliefs and messaging

• The introduction of the Volksempfänger (The People’s Receiver) in 1933 was hugely important for several reasons:

Nazi Rallies

• Rallies had been used by the Nazi Party throughout the 1920s and early 1930s

• The declaration of Hitler as Führer in 1934 allowed him to merge the identity of the Nazi Party with that of Germany:

  • Rallies became more frequent and created a sense of unity

  • Used to advertise the strength of the German army, the rallies were held despite the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles

The Nuremberg Rallies 

• Nuremberg is a city in the centre of Germany and was chosen to host annual rallies from 1933-38

• Hitler’s favourite architect, Albert Speer, designed the grounds where the rally took place

• The 1934 Nuremberg rally had 200,000 in attendance:

  • 152 searchlights were used as pillars of light around the audience, known as the Cathedral of Light

  • Films like Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl presented the strength and power of the Nazi Party at the Nuremberg rallies

The 1936 Berlin Olympics

• Hitler and Goebbels believed that success in sport was essential:

  • To “Strengthen the character of the German people”

  • To promote the Nazi belief that Aryans were superior

• The 1936 Berlin Olympics was an opportunity for Hitler to show the might of Nazi Germany:

• Jesse Owens angered Hitler and the Nazis by winning four gold medals and becoming the most successful athlete at the games

• Leni Riefenstahl directed the film Olympia, which was released in 1938 and documents the events of the 1936 Berlin Olympics