Propaganda During Nazi Germany
Examine why and how film was used for propaganda purposes in Nazi Germany.
“The function of propaganda is,for example,not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people,but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for.it’s task is not to make an objective study of the truth,…its task is to serve our own right,always and unflinchingly”(Hitler,1971,p182).Propaganda as defined by Welch(1983,p2),is the art of brainwashing,so as to alter attitudes and ideas.Though the art of persuasion is nothing new,it became more innovative in the first half of the twentieth century,such as through the “popular press,then the film and the radio”(Tegel,2007,p.12).This was headed by the Ministry of Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels,who was appointed by Hitler who believed that he had found his expert(Welch,1983,p3)
According to Reuth(1993,pxiii) “A successful twentieth century propagandist has to possess two different sets of qualities:He must have an intuitive grasp of the feelings and thoughts of the masses and must be able to convey messages to them which hold their attention and combine simplicity with attractiveness.” This was why film was one of the most effective form of propaganda used. The cinema, together with the radio and motor-car was effectively used to allow the Nazis to assume power(Grunberger,1995,p378).It was widely used because both Hitler and Goebbels were obsessed with it, as well as to attack the Reich internal(mainly the Jews) and external enemies(the Allied powers).More importantly,film was used to rally and influence the masses.This was crucial during the war years where films even led the Germans to believe that the “war isn’t lost”.This essay would hence analyze the extent to which film was being used and the effectiveness of it as a form of propaganda
One motive why film was used by the Nazis as a propaganda tool was because both Hitler and Goebbels were obsessed with it.Hitler himself wrote in his book, Mein
“The function of propaganda is,for example,not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people,but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for.it’s task is not to make an objective study of the truth,…its task is to serve our own right,always and unflinchingly”(Hitler,1971,p182).Propaganda as defined by Welch(1983,p2),is the art of brainwashing,so as to alter attitudes and ideas.Though the art of persuasion is nothing new,it became more innovative in the first half of the twentieth century,such as through the “popular press,then the film and the radio”(Tegel,2007,p.12).This was headed by the Ministry of Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels,who was appointed by Hitler who believed that he had found his expert(Welch,1983,p3)
According to Reuth(1993,pxiii) “A successful twentieth century propagandist has to possess two different sets of qualities:He must have an intuitive grasp of the feelings and thoughts of the masses and must be able to convey messages to them which hold their attention and combine simplicity with attractiveness.” This was why film was one of the most effective form of propaganda used. The cinema, together with the radio and motor-car was effectively used to allow the Nazis to assume power(Grunberger,1995,p378).It was widely used because both Hitler and Goebbels were obsessed with it, as well as to attack the Reich internal(mainly the Jews) and external enemies(the Allied powers).More importantly,film was used to rally and influence the masses.This was crucial during the war years where films even led the Germans to believe that the “war isn’t lost”.This essay would hence analyze the extent to which film was being used and the effectiveness of it as a form of propaganda
One motive why film was used by the Nazis as a propaganda tool was because both Hitler and Goebbels were obsessed with it.Hitler himself wrote in his book, Mein
References: 1. Fest,C.Joachim,The Face of the Third Reich(Great Britain:C.Tinling & Co,1963) 2. Grunberger,Richard,The 12-Year Reich(United States of America:Da Capo Press,Inc,1995) 3. Haffner,Sebastian,Germany Jekyll and Hyde(Great Britain:Abacus,2008) 4. Hitler,Adolf,Mein Kamf(United States of America:The Houghton Miffin Company,1971) 5. Lochner,P.Louis,The Goebbels Diaries(London:Hamish Hamilton,1948) 6. Moeller,Felix,The Film Minister,Goebbels And The Cinema in the Third R eich(London:Axel Menges,2000) 7. Reuth,Ralf Georg,Goebbels(Great Britain:Constable and Company,1993) 8. Reeves,Nicholas,The Power of Film Propaganda:Myth or Reality?(Great Britain:Biddles Limited,Guildford and King’s Lynn,1999) 9. Shirer,L.William,The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich(Great Britain:The Reprint society,1962) 10. Tegel,Susan,Nazis and the Cinema(New York:Hambledon Continum,2007) 11. Weinberg,David,Approaches to the Study of Film in the Third Reich: A Critical Appraisal,Journal of Contemporary History(Vol 19.1984) 12. Welch,David,Nazi Propaganda:The power and the limitations(London and Canberra:Croom Helm,1983) 13. Welch,David,The Third Reich:Politics and Propaganda(Great Britain:Routledge,2002)