Nazi control of Germany

Purpose
The aim of propaganda and censorship was to brainwash(indoctrinate) people into
obeying the Nazis and idolizing Hitler.

It was achieved by ensuring only the ideas and values of the Nazis were heard and seen by the
masses.
Methods
The government department responsible for propaganda was the Ministry of
Enlightenment and Propaganda, headed by Dr Joseph Goebbels.

He believed propaganda worked best if it were “invisible” (i.e. subtle) and “all-pervasive”
(i.e. everywhere).

Therefore, all aspects of the media, culture and the arts were censored and used for
Nazi propaganda.

Much of the information Germans received reinforced the message of Aryan racial

superiority whilst bitterly bad-mouthing the Jews and other ‘enemies’ of the regime.

1. Censorship of the press

 Newspapers could only print stories favorable to and approved by the Nazis.
 Daily briefings were held for editors to tell them what to print and where to place
articles in their newspapers.
 Jewish journalists were banned.
 Editors had to join the Nazi Party or be dismissed.
 By 1935, 1,600 newspapers were closed.
 By 1939, 69% of newspapers were directly owned by the Nazis.
2. Control of radio broadcasts

 Allradio output was controlled by Goebbels’ Ministry through the Reich

Broadcasting Corporation. Goebbels saw radio as the most important
medium for propaganda.
 Listening to foreign stations was banned.
 9 million radios were sold cheaply so that most Germans could afford one and
thus be indoctrinated. These “People’s Receivers” could only be tuned to the
Nazi station. By 1939, 70 per cent of households owned one of them.
  Radiowardens were used to ensure people listened to major speeches being
broadcast.
3. Large public events

 There
were mass rallies to show public support for Nazism which involved
music, speeches and demonstrations of German military strength.
 Thebiggest rally was the annual Nuremberg Rally held in August. It lasted a
week, with a different Nazi organisation being featured each day. There were
four specially-built stadia.
 Therallies were characterized by order and discipline, marching, massive
displays of flags and symbols, rousing music (like the “Horst-Wessel-Lied” Nazi
anthem) and the clever use of modern technology (such as arc lampsto create
atmosphere, loudspeakers, car cavalcades and flypasts by planes). Rallies
were held at other times in the year as well, for example on Hitler’s birthday.
 Sportsevents were held to allow people to be either spectators or participants in
mass activities. The Strength Through Joy (KdF) movement organised many of
these. Berlin hosted the Olympics of 1936, which the Nazis used as an
opportunity to showcase the success of the regime and to demonstrate the
superiority of the Aryan race. The victories of an African-American athlete from
the USA, Jesse Owens, infuriated the Nazi leadership.
Hitler and the Nazi Party were a constant presence in the life of the German people, with:

 The infamous Swastika symbol appearing on every government uniform and public
building.
 Pictures of Hitler displayed everywhere.

 Germans having to greet each other with a ‘Heil Hitler’ raised arm salute.

The government department responsible for all of this was the Ministry of Enlightenment and
Propaganda, headed by Dr Joseph Goebbels. It aimed to brainwash people into obeying the Nazis
and idolising Hitler. Its methods included:

 Censorship of the press  All newspapers were controlled by the government and could
only print stories favourable to the Nazi regime.
 Control of radio broadcasts. Radios were sold very cheaply so that most Germans could
afford one. All radio output was controlled by Goebbels’ ministry through the Reich
Broadcasting Corporation.
 Mass rallies. These public displays of support for Nazism involved music, speeches and
demonstrations of German strength. The biggest one was held each year in August at
Nuremberg.
 Use of sports events. Berlin hosted the Olympics of 1936, which the Nazis used as an
opportunity to showcase the success of the regime and to demonstrate the
superiority of the Aryan race. The victories of the African-American athlete Jesse
Owens for the USA infuriated the Nazi leadership.
Loudspeakers in public places also blared out Nazi propaganda. Much of the information
Germans received reinforced the message of Aryan racial superiority whilst demonising the Jews
and other ‘enemies’ of the regime.

Revision tip:

A good mnemonic to help you remember the key features of Nazi propaganda is:

 Communication - at the heart of propaganda

 Should - Sport

 Remain - Rallies

 Really - Radio

 Positive - Press
Nazi control of culture and the arts

Type German influence

The Weimar period had seen a flourishing of German art, much of which was
abstract. Hitler saw this modern art as ‘degenerate’ and over 6500 works of art
Art were removed from display across Germany. Hitler encouraged ‘Aryan art’
instead, which showed the physical and military power of Germany and the Aryan
race.

Hitler was very interested in architecture and believed it could be used to project
the power of the Nazi regime. The most important architect of the period was
Architecture
Albert Speer, who redesigned Berlin, as well as designing the stadium in
Nuremberg where annual rallies were held.

Nazis ceremonially burned thousands of books in 1933 that were viewed as being
subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included
Literature
books written by Jewish, pacifist, classical, liberal, anarchist, socialist, and
communist authors.

Works by certain playwrights were banned. Nazi-produced political plays and

Theatre musicals were not very popular so the regime allowed classic plays by the likes of
Shakespeare to be performed.

To make sure that film served the goals of propaganda, the Nazi Party gradually
took over film production and distribution. A state-run professional school for
politically reliable film-makers was founded, and membership of an official
Film
professional organization (Reichsfilmkammer) was made compulsory for all actors
and film-makers. The Nazi leaders often used film stars, like Lil Dagover, to help
promote the popularity of the party in Germany.

In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were
banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining
Music
huge popularity. The Nazis were strongly opposed to jazz music, which they
referred to as 'Negro music' and called it 'degenerate'.

The Nazis’ interest in and influence on all of these areas demonstrates the extent to which the
party sought to control German life and win over the population to the Nazi cause.

1.
 2.

Hitler and the Nazi Party were a constant presence in the life of the German people, with:

 The infamous Swastika symbol appearing on every government uniform and public
building.
 Pictures of Hitler displayed everywhere.

 Germans having to greet each other with a ‘Heil Hitler’ raised arm salute.

The government department responsible for all of this was the Ministry of Enlightenment and
Propaganda, headed by Dr Joseph Goebbels. It aimed to brainwash people into obeying the Nazis
and idolising Hitler. Its methods included:

 Censorship of the press. All newspapers were controlled by the government and could
only print stories favourable to the Nazi regime.
 Control of radio broadcasts. Radios were sold very cheaply so that most Germans could
afford one. All radio output was controlled by Goebbels’ ministry through the Reich
Broadcasting Corporation.
 Mass rallies. These public displays of support for Nazism involved music, speeches and
demonstrations of German strength. The biggest one was held each year in August at
Nuremberg.
 Use of sports events. Berlin hosted the Olympics of 1936, which the Nazis used as an
opportunity to showcase the success of the regime and to demonstrate the
superiority of the Aryan race. The victories of the African-American athlete Jesse
Owens for the USA infuriated the Nazi leadership.
Loudspeakers in public places also blared out Nazi propaganda. Much of the information
Germans received reinforced the message of Aryan racial superiority whilst demonising the Jews
and other ‘enemies’ of the regime.

Revision tip:

A good mnemonic to help you remember the key features of Nazi propaganda is:

 Communication - at the heart of propaganda

 Should - Sport

 Remain - Rallies

 Really - Radio

 Positive - Press
Nazi control of culture and the arts

Type German influence

The Weimar period had seen a flourishing of German art, much of which was
abstract. Hitler saw this modern art as ‘degenerate’ and over 6500 works of art
Art were removed from display across Germany. Hitler encouraged ‘Aryan art’
instead, which showed the physical and military power of Germany and the Aryan
race.

Hitler was very interested in architecture and believed it could be used to project
the power of the Nazi regime. The most important architect of the period was
Architecture
Albert Speer, who redesigned Berlin, as well as designing the stadium in
Nuremberg where annual rallies were held.

Nazis ceremonially burned thousands of books in 1933 that were viewed as being
subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to Nazism. These included
Literature
books written by Jewish, pacifist, classical, liberal, anarchist, socialist, and
communist authors.

Works by certain playwrights were banned. Nazi-produced political plays and

Theatre musicals were not very popular so the regime allowed classic plays by the likes of
Shakespeare to be performed.

To make sure that film served the goals of propaganda, the Nazi Party gradually
took over film production and distribution. A state-run professional school for
politically reliable film-makers was founded, and membership of an official
Film
professional organization (Reichsfilmkammer) was made compulsory for all actors
and film-makers. The Nazi leaders often used film stars, like Lil Dagover, to help
promote the popularity of the party in Germany.

In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were
banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining
Music
huge popularity. The Nazis were strongly opposed to jazz music, which they
referred to as 'Negro music' and called it 'degenerate'.

The Nazis’ interest in and influence on all of these areas demonstrates the extent to which the
party sought to control German life and win over the population to the Nazi cause.

1.
2.