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PROPAGANDA
PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a
person, group, movement, institution or nation. During World War II, propaganda was
displayed in public places as well as private homes to justify Adolf Hitler’s “Final
Solution.”
Making a Leader
Adolf Hitler was a man who knew how
to manipulate the minds of others to his
own advantage. Through the persuasive
use of propaganda, Hitler became
chancellor of Germany. The image of
Hitler that was portrayed to the public
was a military leader, a father figure, and
a messianic leader. Millions of copies of
Hitler’s military autobiography were
produced and disseminated to the
masses. Paintings, posters, and busts
were made of him and “Nazi propaganda
constantly reinforced the notion that
Hitler was the embodiment of the
national will. Here, a determined looking
Hitler in military dress stands with
clenched fist, poised for action above the
adoring crowd. This poster, designed for
a 1934 public referendum on uniting the
posts of German chancellor and
president, conveys unanimous popular
support for Hitler.”
Nazi Party Reich Propaganda
Directorate, "Yes! Leader, We
Follow You!"
Rallying the Nation
Hitler’s propagandists were very biased
toward the new “National Community”
which is for “pure Aryans” only. They
influenced the public against the current
Weimar system by saying it was
unstable and ineffective. The Weimar
system was a democratic system of
government in Germany which was
struggling due to disagreements over
economic policies, as well as the
growing opposition between political
parties. Hitler used this to promote his
own party, the National Community.
His promise to unite the nation and
create jobs for 6 million people is what
earned Hitler massive popular support.
Nazi propaganda targeted specific
subgroups in the German population
with messages specially crafted to speak
to a group’s desires, hopes, and needs.
This poster appears to imply that a vote
for Hitler will mean an end to
unemployment for this group.”
“Poster:"We’re for Adolf Hitler!"
This poster was aimed at
unemployed miners.
Defining the Enemy
Propaganda defined who would be
excluded from the National Community
and targeted groups that were considered
the "outsiders.” These groups included
Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Jehovah's
Witnesses, and Germans viewed as
genetically inferior. The genetically
inferior were people with mental illness
and intellectual or physical disabilities,
epileptics, congenitally deaf and blind
people, chronic alcoholics, drug users,
and others. The main focus was the
Jews who were blamed for WWI.
Propaganda “demonizing” Jews was a
way to justify to the German population
the harsher measures later taken such as
mass deportations and then, genocide.
Antisemitic poster published in
Poland in March 1941
“An antisemitic poster published in
Poland in March 1941. The caption
reads, "Jews are lice; They cause
typhus." This German-published poster
was intended to instill fear of Jews
among Christian Poles.”
Indoctrinating Youth
Hitler and the Nazi party brainwashed
youths to have Nazi socialistic views
through the use of posters, books,
education, and extracurricular activities.
Children brought up during this time
period were taught that Jews were
beneath them and were the cause of all
of their problems. It was mandatory for
boys and girls from 10-17 years old to
join a Nazi youth group. Their training
focused on loyalty to Hitler. When boys
turned 18 years old they had to enlist in
the armed forces. Hitler used things that
appealed to specific age groups. He
even produced toy soldiers modeled
after the SA (Storm Troopers).
“German children read an anti-Jewish
propaganda book titled DER GIFTPILZ
("The Poisonous Mushroom"). The girl
on the left holds a companion volume,
the translated title of which is "Trust No
Fox." Germany, ca. 1938.”
Writing the News
The Nazis only controlled about 3% of
Germany’s 4,700 newspapers when
Hitler first took power in 1933. All that
changed. With the removal of the
multiparty political system hundreds of
newspapers produced by outlawed
political parties went under. The state
also seized the printing plants and
equipment of the Communist and Social
Democratic Parties and often then turned
them over to the Nazi Party. The Nazis
also gained control over independent
press companies.
The regime used
radio, press, and newsreels to stir up
fears of a pending "Communist
uprising," then turned this fear into
political measures that wiped out civil
liberties and democracy.
Cover of a 1936 issue of the
Illustrierter Beobachter
“Cover of a 1936 issue of the
Illustrierter Beobachter, the illustrated
companion publication to the official
Nazi Party newspaper, the Völkischer
Beobachter.”
Deceiving the Public
To justify their actions, the Nazis
misinformed the public about the Jews.
They used anti-Semitism propaganda to
claim that Jews spread diseases. The
Nazis put quarantine signs at the
entrances of the Jewish ghettos saying
there was danger of contagious disease.
They did this to prevent non-Jews from
entering and seeing the horrible
conditions of daily life. There were not
enough water and sanitation supplies but
also starvation rations contributed to the
ill health of the Jews there. Soon the
warning signs became true as typhus and
other infectious diseases devastated
ghetto populations. This is how the
Nazis’ man-made epidemics justified
isolating the "filthy" Jews from the
larger population.
German police patrol the border of
the Jewish residential quarter before
sealing off the Warsaw ghetto
“German police patrol the border of the
Jewish residential quarter before sealing
off the Warsaw ghetto. The sign in
German and Polish reads "Quarantined
area. Only through traffic is permitted."
1940.”
Assessing Guilt
After the war the Allies had to reform
German society after 12 years of Nazi
rule and lots of hate propaganda. Also,
they had to punish the Nazi government
and military leaders responsible for the
genocide of Jews. The trials were
broadcast to all of the German public so
that the people would hear the details of
the mass murder. Julius Streicher was
found guilty on the charge of crimes
against humanity because he called for
the extermination of the Jews in 23
articles published in Der Stürmer
between 1938 and 1941. This was the
evidence that proved a link between
words and actions. The Allies pledged
to demilitarize and de-Nazify the
German population.
They renamed
streets, parks, buildings, etc. that had
Nazi influence. They removed statues,
monuments, signs, and emblems linked
with Nazism, or militarism. In addition,
they
confiscated
Nazi
property,
eliminated Nazi propaganda from
education, media, and the many religious
institutions which had pro-Nazi leaders
and clergymen and prohibited Nazi
parades, anthems, or the public display
of Nazi symbols. For the first time in
history, war crimes courts tried
propagandists against crimes against
humanity.
A U.S. soldier takes down a sign for
Adolf-Hitler Street
“The denazification program in
Germany mandated the elimination of
Nazi names from public squares, city
streets, and other venues.”