With reference to at least 2 of the following, how successful was Nazi Propaganda: Art/ architecture, Education, Film, Radio, and Newspapers.

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Kirsty Field 13D

With reference to at least 2 of the following, how successful was Nazi Propaganda:

        Art/ architecture

        Education

        Film

        Radio

        Newspapers.

For the Nazi party, uniformed acceptance of their aims and ideals was the most important aspect of Nazi life.  In order to get people to accept and conform to these values the Nazi party became one of the most extreme propaganda machines of the 20th century.  The Nazi Government extensively used Propaganda to influence the German nation and to promote the views of the Regime. It was utilised with the aim of coaxing the people to think and behave in a specific manner.  Goebbels was appointed Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda and his job was to use all the resources available to him to indoctrinate and retain as much of the German people’s attention as possible by forcing Nazi ideals and values into their everyday lives.  However, it can be shown that Nazi propaganda was not always as successful as Goebbels wanted.

The Nazis used different forms of media to promote propaganda, and it had a varied effect. Propaganda that was shown through entertainment invariably was far more effective than ideological propaganda. The overtaking of all media was a great propaganda show for the Nazis, from then on. Radio was overtaken to create the "Reich radio company" and they even created a Radio which could not pick up foreign frequencies deliberately, this may be because nothing was wanted to be heard by the ears of the German nation outside of Germany.  Radio was regarded as the most important medium for propaganda, reflecting the Nazis preference of the spoken word over the written word, “We make no bones about the fact that the radio belongs to us and no one else…The radio must subordinate itself to the goals which the Government of the National Revolution has set itself…” (Goebbels 1st March 1933)

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However, despite Goebbels’ claims that radio is “the most modern and the most important instrument of mass influence that exists anywhere,” it was not always as successful as he believed it was.  A cheap radio, the “Volksempfanger” (“People’s Receiver”) was produced and people were able to pay for them in instalments, on hire-purchase.  This was to ensure that as many people as possible could afford to buy them.  However, the real value of these cheap radios came from making people believe that they were getting richer under the Nazis.  Also, it is difficult to argue that the radio was ...

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