Why Was Propaganda Important To Hitler's Control Over Germany?

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Jenna Waite        History Coursework        10.1

                10.S

Why Was Propaganda Important To Hitler’s Control Over Germany?

An important factor in Hitler’s control over the German people in the 1930’s was propaganda. To convince Germany that Hitler and the Nazi party would solve Germany’s problems, the Nazi’s used propaganda techniques extremely effectively which convinced the German population that their policies were good. In this essay I will explore aspects of Nazi propaganda, and how it helped Hitler control the way German people thought.

Joseph Geobbels was made head of propaganda by Hitler. Both Hitler and Geobbels were experts in the subject.

They believed the media had to be carefully controlled. Both thought people had to be told what to think rather than let them believe what they wanted to believe. Joseph Geobbels plastered Germany with posters exaggerating Hitler’s success and Nazi plans at attacking their opponents. Although it had been extremely popular in Germany as well as all over Europe, Geobbels banned jazz because it was music made by black people who were then considered the inferior race. Technology was important to Geobbels and he found using the radio to broadcast Nazi messages very useful. He made cheap radios so that all of the German population could afford one, Geobbels, of course, took over control of all radio stations. If anyone was caught listening to BBC broadcasts, they could face any type of punishment, even including the death penalty. To avoid Germans missing a Nazi message, Geobbels placed loudspeakers in towns, streets and public bars. Messages from Nazi leaders and Hitler’s famous speeches were repeated over and over until their ideas were believed by the common German population. These subjects included the inferiority of Jews and German expansion into Eastern Europe. Through all of his work Geobbels was supported by the SS and the Gestapo. If he wanted to close down an anti-Nazi newspaper, silence an anti-Nazi writer or catch someone listening to a foreign radio station, they were on hand to help Geobbels. Films, plays and books also had to follow Nazi messages otherwise Geobbels forbade them to be published or performed.

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Geobbels organised huge rallies, marches, torch lit processions and meetings. The most impressive was the Nuremburg rallies which took place every summer. Bands, marches and flying displays brought colour and excitement into people’s lives. Hitler’s speeches were the main part of each rally. They made the population feel a sense of belonging and importance. They also showed the German people how powerful the State was and convinced them that ‘every other German’ fully supported the Nazis. Joseph realised that the Nazis were able to make order out of chaos so the whole rally was based on order.

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