What forms of propaganda were used by the state in Nazi Germany and howeffective were they?

political attitudes of the nation. People in Nazi Germany could not talk, write or even think freely. Goebbels used every known technique of propaganda to make sure of this. The Germans, with the encouragement of the Nazis, were enthusiastic newspaper readers. Germany had over 4700 daily newspapers in 1933. However, all that the public read was to be passed through official agencies and approved. Goebbels made certain that the press put across Nazi views. Non-Nazi newspapers were taken over and many private newspapers were bought by the Nazi publishing company, until two-thirds of the press were under its control. Newspaper editors were required to attend a conference each day where they were told what news they could print. The press department of the Ministry of People’s Enlightenment and Propaganda directed journalists on what line they should take with their articles. The Nazis succeeded in muzzling the press to a large extent. However, due to the bland, sterile journalism that came as a result of this, there was a 10% decline in newspaper circulation in these years.Radio, which was one of the main forms of media during this time, was also used extensively as a medium through which propaganda was dispensed. There were more radios per head of the population in Germany than in any other country in Europe. Hitler and Goebbels both realised the potential of this medium and used it on a massive scale. When he came into power, Goebbels brought all German broadcasting under Nazi control. He dismissed 13% of the staff on racial grounds and replaced them with his own men. In order for radio to reach the public, the government made provision for the production of a cheap radio set called ‘The People’s Receiver’. By 1939 70% of German homes had a radio. It became a medium of mass communication. Hitler made numerous broadcasts which would have been listened to by workforces in industry, pupils in the classroom and families at home.  To ensure that people could listen to the radio when not at home, workplaces, cafes and other public places had to turn their radios on for important programmes. From 1938 loud speakers, which blasted pro-Nazi slogans, were put up on posts in many city streets. Goebbels also used rallies and campaigns to increase people’s loyalty to the party. The most dramatic of these rallies were those held for a week in August at Nuremberg. Each year hundreds of thousands of people came together to witness parades and displays in four huge arenas. Art, music, pageantry and oratory were all combined on a massive scale. In the time between rallies, local SA or Hitler youth groups campaigned to raise funds for the Party. The most frequent campaigns were for ‘one pot Sundays’, when families were expected to cook Sunday lunch in a single pot and give the money saved to collectors when they called in the afternoon. Hitler also used the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin for propaganda purposes. He aimed to glorify Nazi rule and demonstrate the physical and athletic superiority of the ‘master race’. However, his aims were not entirely achieved due to the fact that black athlete Jesse Owens won several important track events. Goebbels gradually extended his influence so that literature, music and art all came under the Reich Chamber of Culture. Censorship of literature took place on an enormous scale. The works of over 2500 writers were officially banned. Public and university libraries were turned upside down and millions of books were burned on huge bonfires. In 1933, encouraged by Goebbels, students in Berlin burnt 20 000 books written by Jews and Communists. Music was also carefully scrutinized. Mendelssohn was removed from the list of composers who could be played, because he was partly Jewish and Jazz music as well as the ‘jitterbug’ dance were banned because black people had originated them. Art, too, was censored and often deemed ‘degenerate’. Many artists had their works seized and thrown out of art galleries. Some paintings were shown in a special exhibition of ‘degenerate’ art in Munich. Films and plays were inspected for nudity and sex scenes, which Nazis also condemned. In fact, they condemned most forms of modern art.  Propaganda was occasionally verbally passed on in the form of lies as ‘whisper propaganda’. Lies, fake rumours and false information were planted and chain letters were passed on in order to successfully spread covert messages. This misinformation was considered a form of propaganda.  Another form of propaganda by misinforming was the rewriting of children’s books to include Nazi ideas. In addition to the aforementioned methods of propaganda, the swastika was a powerful symbol to identify it and distinguish it from rival groups that was used by propagandists. In Nazi theory, the Aryans were the German's ancestors, and Hitler concluded that the swastika, which had been eternally anti-Semitic, would be the perfect symbol for the victory of the Aryan man. The swastika flag had a hypnotic effect on the masses. The Nazi flag was red, with a black swastika that appeared to be lying on an angle, to produce an even more dynamic illusion of circular movement. It came to be the most powerful image of Nazism.Combined, these methods of propaganda were extremely effective in helping to Nazis gain the loyalty or the Germans. It gave the Nazis ultimate control of people’s lives, as well as all forms of expression and communication. The propaganda, which was deliberately aimed at the masses, effectively served several purposes. It portrayed Hitler as a strong leader to whom every German should give their loyalty, reinforced beliefs of Aryan supremacy, the Jewish menace and communist danger. Additionally, these forms of propaganda targeted the emotions of the German people and therefore pushed the goals of the Nazi party in relation to military and territorial expansion.