Propaganda In Nazi Germany

From 1933-1945, Germany saw one of the most evil regimes come to light in the Nazi Party. Apart from promoting large-scale genocide and world domination, the Nazis did all they could to control the media and sway the German people's thoughts and opinions.

The leader of Nazi propaganda was Joseph Goebbels. In his role as propaganda minister, Goebbels hailed Hitler and the Nazi Party while painting all Jewish people as enemies of the state. He had all "un-German" books burned and produced multiple posters and films promoting the Nazi agenda. Goebbels made sure that any opinions that differed from the Nazis were snuffed out and never broadcasted. As important as it was to Goebbels to advocate Nazi superiority, his main priority was to degrade Jews and beat it into the Germans' heads that the Jews were the root of Germany's problem and the cause of the ongoing war ("Joseph Goebbels.").

Goebbels was completely pledged to Adolf Hitler. As the tide of the war shifted and the Nazis' defeat to the Allies became more and more inevitable, Goebbels goaded the German people to engage in an all-out war. He reasoned it was better for Germany to be completely wiped out if they were going to lose the war. By this point of the war, Nazi propaganda had lost its effectiveness and the Germans were preparing to surrender ("Joseph Goebbels.").

In addition to anti-Semitism, Nazi propaganda played on hatred towards the Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union. Hitler began this promotion after cunningly convincing the German people that Great Britain had been subjugated in 1941, which was not entirely true. Germany had indeed decimated Great Britain with air raid after air raid, but the great island nation was not at all under Nazi control (Welch).

Nevertheless, Hitler wanted the Soviet Union and knew he needed the German people's support if he was to undertake such a daunting task. By targeting Communists (and of course blaming the Jews), Hitler's anti-Bolshevik propaganda garnered him the support he wanted for a full-scale invasion of Stalin's USSR in June. He would need as much support as he could get because this move would eventually backfire tremendously (Welch).

Propaganda in Nazi Germany was used to promote Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the war effort. It suppressed all opponents and constantly painted the Jews as scapegoats. The effectiveness of this propaganda network was embodied in minister Joseph Goebbels, who held unquestionable loyalty towards Adolf Hitler. The Nazis' 15 years of power and influence in Germany show how valuable and influential the media can be. By controlling what the people see and hear, governments can shape their respective countries for better or worse. Unfortunately for the world and millions of people, Germany chose the latter.

Sources:

          "Joseph Goebbels." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/joseph-goebbels>.

         Welch, David. "Nazi Propaganda." BBC News. BBC. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/nazi_propaganda_gallery_06.shtml>.