Nazi Propaganda

By Mr Moorhousewww.SchoolHistory.co.uk www.SchoolsHistory.org.uk

Nazi Propaganda• What is propaganda?• Propaganda is the

use of the Media to aggressively promote one point of view.

• Propaganda is ‘brainwashing’ of the public, convincing them of an ideological viewpoint.

PropagandaActivity• In pairs discuss different ways in

which a government could attempt to ‘brainwash’ the population. Make a brief note of your ideas.

• Think about what legislation (laws) that a government could introduce to aid their propaganda campaign.

Nazi Propaganda• The Nazi’s quickly recognised the

value of the media. From the early days of the party they used aggressive advertising to promote the nazi ideology

• Goebbels was in charge of ‘enlightening’ the German public

Nazi Propaganda: Methods• Posters• Radio• Film• Newspapers

Posters• Posters are cheap

and easy to distribute

• Placed in prominent positions they act as a constant reminder of ideology

• Can be used for many purposes

Examples of Nazi Posters

Radio• Hitler’s Speeches

Hitler is considered to have been one of the greatest public speakers of all time.

FilmFilm was used to show Hitler in a positive light as often as possible.The Nazi’s commissioned several films, each carefully portraying a certain image – try to think what this may have been…

Newspapers• Censoring newspapers ensures

that only the news you want people to read is available to the public

• Nazi party members wrote many articles for the press, ensuring that the message was always positive

• Many publications were banned

Activity• Using all of the available

resources. Explain how the Nazi Party used propaganda to strengthen their position once in power.

• See following slide for some advice on what to include in your answer.

Answering the QuestionUsing all of the available resources. Explain how the

Nazi Party used propaganda to strengthen their position once in power.

• A description of how each form of media was manipulated will NOT attain a high mark

• Ensure that you make the purpose of propaganda explicit• A strong answer will recognise that no one method of

Propaganda is successful in isolation• The frequency of broadcasts and number of public images

must be emphasised• Analysis of how the combined media onslaught would

influence the opinions of ordinary Germans is necessary for a high level response

• Reference to the available source material and some appraisal of it’s purpose and worth will enhance the quality of your answer