Why did the Nazi Regime try to control information?

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Why Did the Nazi Regime Try To Control Information & Propaganda?

1933-39

The Nazi regime is infamous for their strict control over the German people, and mass indoctrination which came with it. They enforced this strict control for a number of reasons.

When the Nazis took power in 1933 the Ministry for Public Enlightenment & Propaganda was established almost immediately.  Joseph Goebbels was the head of this department and was set up to control the press and culture of Nazi Germany. Two acts passed by the Nazi government in order to suppress freedom of speech and ensure negative views were quashed were the Reich Press Law and the Suspension of Independent Newspapers. It was also used to display Nazi ideals through radio, newspapers, film and most notably posters. The Nazi’s set up this ministry in order to put there message across to the German peoples in a way that it was impossible to avoid and would also enable them to control what was said about the party in the press. This was vitally important as the Nazi’s had not been voted into power and were therefore liable to come under criticism when they first took charge of the nation.

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Having control over what was said and published about their party was vital in the early years of the Nazi regime as it enabled them to cover up certain instances or portray them differently. For example, the Night of the Long Knives in July 1934, this was when the Nazi’s carried out a series of political executions on the SA. This event was portrayed in the media to the people of Germany as a noble act by Hitler that saved Germany from revolution. The purge therefore strengthened and consolidated the support of the people for Hitler. It also provided a ...

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