propaganda, Nazi

In Germany between the 1920s and 1940s, the Nazi party pursued a systematic programme of propaganda, distorting facts and spreading lies to encourage particular attitudes. From 1933 the Ministry of Propaganda, under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, took the use of propaganda as a means of mass communication to new heights, and propaganda became the science of moulding opinion rather than a medium for reliable information. Goebbels was able to manipulate every issue to fit with the ideology of Nazism. Radio, newspapers, books, and even school lessons were moulded to spread Nazi messages of the racial superiority of German Aryans, and condemn the Jews as the scapegoats of Germany's problems.

Goebbels's ministry made films of fake discoveries about Aryan history, with proof of their authenticity being provided by historians who supported the Nazi cause. These films were designed to show that the superior cultural past of the Aryan race had become corrupted by the influence of lesser races such as the Jews and Slavs. Such films were shown all over Germany to convince the German people that they were the master race as preparation for war with what the Nazi's claimed were lesser peoples.

At the same time negative messages were being spread about the Jews. Films showed the Jews as rats carrying a plague waiting to devour Germany. Adolf Hitler's speeches claiming a world-Jewish conspiracy to destroy Germany were reported as fact by Nazi-controlled newspapers and radio stations. Signs banning Jews from many facilities in German cities were taken down during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, as part of the Nazis' propaganda initiative to charm the world. However, once the eyes of the world's press were away from Germany, the persecution of the Jews increased.

With Hitler's hypnotic powers of public speaking and Goebbels's skilful use of propaganda, the Nazis were able to convince many in Germany that their policies were moral and correct. Their domination and manipulation of all forms of communication was far advanced for the age, and enabled them to maintain control of the German people. They realized the power of modern communication and set out to use this to its full potential.