Clickbait, misinformation, so-called fake news - if 2020 feels a bit like a propaganda nightmare,
it’s nothing compared to the terrifying power of Hitler’s propaganda machine.
Carefully orchestrated propaganda campaigns allowed Hitler and the Nazis to sow hatred,
encourage violence, and get away with unimaginable atrocities.
Life in Germany after the First World War was bleak. After losing the war and being made to
sign the harsh Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to relinquish huge amounts of territory
and the country fell into a deep recession. Unemployment was sky-high, and inflation was
running rampant. In 1914, before the war, a loaf of bread cost the equivalent of 13 cents. By the
end of the war in 1919, the cost had doubled to 26 cents. By 1922, 3 years after the war had ended,
a loaf of bread cost 700 dollars. But things would get so, so much worse in the post-war years.
By the end of 1923, the price of bread had skyrocketed to the equivalent of 100 billion
dollars, the economy had collapsed and the German currency had become worthless.
Unable to feed their families or make ends meet, morale among the German population
plummeted. This astounding reversal of fortunes for the once mighty nation
created the perfect conditions for the Nazis to rise to power.
The National Socialist Party, or the Nazis, came to power in 1933, and Hitler wasted no
time in implementing his devious plans to restore Germany to its former glory. Over the next few
years he began to rebuild the German military in direct violation of the Versailles treaty,
attempted to boost morale by praising the German people as a “superior” race, and blamed all of
Germany’s problems on so-called traitors like communists, Jews and other minorities. In 1939,
with the invasion of Poland, Hitler launched the Second World War and implemented his brutal
“final solution” to what he called “the Jewish problem”. It is estimated that 5 to 6 million
Jews - up to 2 thirds of all Jews living in Europe before the war - were starved, tortured, used as
slave labor and systematically murdered in Nazi death camps like Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
How was Hitler able to get away with such unimaginable atrocities?
The truth is that none of it would have been possible without Hitler’s propaganda machine.
Within weeks of the Nazis taking power, Hitler established the Ministry for
Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda to spread national socialist ideas, and he was very clear
about the ministry’s purpose. In 1924 Hitler was quoted as saying that propaganda’s “task
is not to make an objective study of the truth, insofar as it favors the enemy,
and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right,
always and unflinchingly.” At the head of this all-important Ministry was a man named Joseph
Goebbels. Goebbels was a gifted speaker and talented propagandist, and he would go on to
be the man largely responsible for the German people’s favorable opinion of the Nazi regime.
The Nazis’ propaganda campaigns were so successful because they targeted
the weaknesses and aspirations of the different classes of Germans. Under Goebbels’ direction,
the Ministry crafted unique messages for different audiences and used advanced
advertising techniques for the day to spread their nefarious ideas throughout German society.
The military rearmament campaign was a clear violation of the Versailles treaty,
but also created many jobs in a struggling economy, and helped the Nazis secure the support
of the working classes. Messages targeting business owners who had suffered after the
war placed the blame for all of Germany’s recent troubles on communists and Jews,
and claimed that Germany had been stabbed in the back and betrayed by foreign aggressors after
World War 1. The key themes of propaganda targeting the middle and upper classes
focused on the supposed purity and racial supremacy of the German people.
Nazi propaganda infiltrated all areas of German life,
from education and industry to science and entertainment, and the ministry used all forms
of media to spread their messages and present Germany as the “defender” of Western culture.
Art and music, radio, film and theatre were all harnessed to further the Nazis’ agenda.
Everything from the Nazis’ uniforms to the party’s strict hierarchy echoed a strong military theme,
and appealed to Germans who wanted to regain the country’s former glory as a military power.
War was glorified as a way for Germans to avenge themselves against their enemies,
and a propaganda campaign rebranded the post-war years as part of a 30-years war, one that started
in 1914 with the onset of World War 1, and one that wouldn’t end until Germany was victorious
and restored to its former glory. Painted in this light, the Nazis were able to convince the German
public that their enemies were planning to attack them at any moment, and the Nazis’ were able to
claim that the invasion of Poland at the start of World War 2 was simply an act of self defence.
This militaristic theme was on prominent display during the many rallies held by Hitler.
Nazi Party Rallies were held annually in Nuremburg to display the power and might
of the Nazi regime and gain popular support for the party. Often lasting for more than a week,
thousands of spectators would flood the fairgrounds to attend folk festivals
and watch parades of specially-selected SS and military tropps who best represented
the Arayan ideal as they marched through the grounds, turning to Hitler, who was situated
at the very top of the massive grandstands, to recognize him with the signature Nazi salute.
The Nazis knew that it wasn’t enough to convince adult Germans to follow them - they had to target
the next generation of Germans and turn them into devoted Nazis, too. In 1937, Hitler outlawed the
Boy Scouts and all other youth groups except for his own version - the Hitler Youth. Under the
guise of typical scouting activities like hiking, camping and survival training, the Hitler Youth
was a way for the Nazis to remove children from the influence of their parents and indoctrinate
them in their anti-semetic ideology. The program was so effective that many children would denounce
their parents or even report them for behaving in ways that the Nazis considered unacceptable,
such as being tolerant towards Jews. The real goal of the Hitler Youth, though,
was to create more soldiers for the German army, and over time the boys’ branch of the group became
more and more militaristic, training young boys to march, handle weapons and prepare for war.
The Nazis had complete power over German newspapers and were able to control what
news the German people read. They used newspapers like Die Sturmer - “The Attacker” - to further
their anti-semetic agenda, especially in periods prior to the passage of anti-semetic legislation.
Before the 1935 Nuremberg Race Laws were enacted, the Nazis used newspapers extensively
to gain acceptance - or at least tolerance - of their new racist policies. Under the new laws,
anyone with 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents, regardless of whether they were practicing Judaism
or self-identified with their Jewish roots, were excluded from citizenship, denied political
rights, and forbidden from marrying anyone of German blood. Graphic cartoons in Die Sturmer
portrayed Jews as hideous and frightening subhuman enemies of the German people, obsessed with money,
sex and power. The Nazis were portrayed as simply stepping in to restore order, and the
German people were encouraged to stand aside and passively accept their horrible treatment of Jews.
One of the Nazis greatest propaganda weapons was the film industry. The Nazis
were suspicious at first, since they thought that the film industry was controlled by Jews,
but Goebbels saw the opportunity to influence the thoughts and beliefs of the German people through
film. He purged the industry of “undesirables”, and offered high profile positions and unlimited
resources to those who were loyal to the Nazi cause. Some films focused on depicting Germans
as racially, culturally and militarily superior and glorified the Nazi Party. One of Goebbels’
favorite directors was Leni Riefenstahl, and she directed many films for the Nazis,
including Triumph of the Will, an aesthetically pleasing film covering the 1934 Nazi Party rally.
Other films had a darker theme. The Eternal Jew, directed by Fritz Hippler, demonized the Jewish
people as subhuman, wandering cultural parasites who were bent on destroying German culture.
In the years leading up to the start of World War 2, the Nazis were making little effort to
hide their violations of the Versailles treaty and were being incredibly blatant about their
horrific ideas and plans. So, why did no one stop them? In short,
their propaganda machine was working just as hard outside of Germany as it was within the country.
In the days before the internet, it was much easier for governments to control the narrative
and take charge of what outsiders were allowed to see about the inner workings
of their country. They took steps to mislead foreign governments into
thinking that the Nazis were simply making reasonable demands to rebuild their country,
while downplaying their anti-semetic rhetoric and increasingly violent treatment of Jews.
Just 3 years before the onset of World War 2, Nazi Germany hosted the 1936 Olypmic Games,
inviting the world into their country in the midst of their remilitarization and anti-semtism.
This event was yet another grand propaganda campaign, designed to fool the world and
bolster the German people. Though Jewish-German athletes were forbidden to compete in the Games,
the Nazis toned down their anti-semetic rhetoric in the papers and radio,
and they cleaned up their cities, removing “Jews Unwelcome” signs and blatantly racist
posters. Visiting athletes and delegates were blissfully unaware of the true extent
of the Nazis’ hatred for the Jews and their increasingly violent treatment of them. Beloved
Nazi film director Leni Riefenstahl filmed the entire event for use as pro-German and pro-Nazi
propaganda in the months and years to come, showcasing the Nazis as heroic leaders who
had turned their country around and had shown the world how superior the German people were.
Later, as World War 2 dragged on, the world finally began hearing whispered rumors of the
atrocities being committed in Nazi concentration camps. The propaganda machine once again went
to work to quash these reports. The Nazis went so far as to allow the International Red Cross
to visit one of these camp-ghettos, inviting representatives to tour Theresienstadt camp in
modern Czech Republic. There, Red Cross officials saw a respectable, if crowded, ghetto where Jewish
“residents” were treated benevolently, fed adequately, and put to work under humane
conditions. The Nazis even made a film about the camp to reassure the German public that nothing
sinister was going on. But, it was all lies. In reality, the camp had undergone an extensive
beautification campaign prior to the visit, and as soon as filming was over, the “cast” - A.K.A. the
prisoners - were rounded up and shipped off to the notorious Auschwitz death camp for extermination.
Thankfully, in the end, the Nazis lost World War 2, and both Hitler and Goebbels commited suicide
in an underground bunker to avoid being held accountable for their crimes. In the aftermath of
the war the reality of the atrocities committed in the Nazi death camps were made known to the world
so that, hopefully, we can avoid repeating them. Understanding propaganda is the first line of
defence against ever again allowing a brutal and hateful dictator to commit such horrible crimes.
It may have been easier to control the message in the 1930s, but the internet age presents its
own challenges when it comes to fake news, disinformation and propaganda. According to
Simon Fraser University in Canada, there are some simple steps we can all take to spot propaganda
and avoid falling victim to it. In the immediate aftermath of a big news event,
the news outlets will always get it wrong - wait for more information. Don’t
trust anonymous sources or sources that only cite other news outlets,
and take the time to compare multiple sources. Pay close attention to the language used by media
outlets - for example, the phrase “We are getting reports…” could mean anything at all. And finally,
some of this is on us. Beware of reflexive sharing - don’t share sensational news on
social media based on your first reaction, do your due diligence before hitting that share button.
Following these steps can help to ensure that nothing like Hitler’s propaganda machine
can be allowed to manufacture outrage, sow hatred or incite violence ever again.
If you thought this video was fascinating and horrifying, just wait until you see
our other videos, like this video called “The World War 2 Nazi Breeding Plan”. Or,
maybe this other video is for you.
As always, thanks for watching, and don’t forget to like, share and subscribe!
See you next time!