The Use of Propaganda in Nazi Germany
Propaganda is communication that is used to influence an audience and further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented. Propaganda is often associated with material prepared by governments, but activist groups, companies, religious organizations, the media, and individuals can also produce propaganda
After WWI, under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was limited to a very small army. Furthermore, Germany was forbidden from uniting with Austria (as it had during WWI). Many Germans were angry about the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. As Germany suffered economic collapse during the 1920s and 1930s, Germans began to look for a leader that could restore Germany to its former glory. After becoming Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hitler began to challenge the Versailles Treaty. In March of 1938, German troops moved into Austria in order to annex Austria and unite the two countries under Nazi rule. • In April of 1938, Germans and Austrians were given the opportunity to ratify the annexation in a public vote. When the votes were tallied, 98.9% of Germans and 99.71% of Austrians had voted to ratify the annexation of Austria. Even given the unpopularity of the Treaty of Versailles, this seems like an incredible margin of victory. This has led historians to closely examine the tactics that the Nazi party leaders used to ensure their desired result on the referendum.
Nazism, formally known as National Socialism, is the ideology and practices associated with the Nazi Party—officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party—in Nazi Germany. Nazism is a form of fascism , with disdain for liberal democracy and the parliamentary system. It incorporates fervent antisemitism , scientific racism, and the use of eugenics into its creed. It emerged after Germany's defeat in World War I, from which came the party's underlying "cult of violence." Nazism subscribed to theories of a racial hierarchy and social Darwinism , identifying the Germans as a part of what the Nazis regarded as an Aryan race. It aimed to create a German society based on racial purity which represented a people's community. The Nazis aimed to unite all Germans, as well as gain additional lands for German expansion under the doctrine of Lebensraum and exclude those who they deemed either community aliens or "inferior" races.
Virtual Gallery Walk
As we view these primary sources consider the following-
1. As you explore the images in this Virtual Gallery Walk, consider what each image is trying to communicate to the viewer?
2. Based on the images you analyze; how do you think the Nazis used propaganda to define the identities of individuals and groups?
3. What groups and individuals did Nazi propaganda glorify? What stereotypes did it promote?
Directions: Click on "description" for translation and answer the question below.
Directions: Click on "description" for translation and answer the question below.
Directions: Click on "description" for traslation and answer the question below.
Directions: Click on "description" for translation and answer the question below.
Directions: Click on "description" for translation and answer the question below.
Directions: Click on "description" for translation and answer the question below.
Propaganda was not just found on posters. Germany was inundated with propaganda in books, movies, and newspapers. There were even propaganda messages included within family board games and postage stamps.
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