...Sonn Eidem Eng 669 World Film: Germany Prof. Macanear Sept. 2014 German National Cinema: Nazi Propaganda Films German propaganda films were used by the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler in order to convey a message to the citizens of Germany. The messages would vary depending upon what Hitler and his party wanted to tell the people of Germany at that particular time. If it was pre-war propaganda it was Hitler on his rise to power. If it was wartime propaganda it was to keep Germany unite in their fight against the enemy and to keep them inspired with hope and promises of victory. "One of the most philosophically fascinating uses of cinema, is a vehicle for propaganda. Granted all mass media-books, television, music, newspaper, radio and nowadays the internet - can be used for propaganda, that is, as tools for getting a message broadly accepted in a target audience. But, it has been argued that film-as opposed to literature, the plastic arts, music and the other performing arts-has a unique power as a tool for propaganda" (Jason203). "The films of a nation reflect its mentality in a more direct way than other artistic films because films are never the product of an individual and the films address themselves and appeal to the anonymous multitude" (Kraucer, 5). This is why Hitler and the Nazi party decided to use film as a method for spreading their ideology. Film allowed them to reach the masses in a way that other mediums just couldn't do. Plus...
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...How effective was Nazi propaganda 1933-1938? One of the main tools of Hitler’s rising Nazi regime was the scrupulous propaganda which enabled the Nazi party to keep the German people in check and under their control, exposing them to only what they saw necessary and vital for Nazi prosper. This helped raise the ideal race that the Nazis strived so wholeheartedly to create. But, how can we determine whether it was effective? To do this, we must look at the various techniques that were used by the ministry of propaganda, and to what extent they worked and helped the Nazi prosper. However, we can only speculate. We will never fully know statistics about how effective Nazi propaganda was, since there was no market research, very few non-Gestapo conducted opinion polls to look at, and even if there were many others, the information would not be accurate and the opinions affected. If there had been polls conducted, the results would have shown exactly what Goebbels and Hitler wanted people to think - this was achieved by making sure that only certain things were safe to think - and more importantly safe to say. Hitler was able to gain more and more followers and appeal to the people due to the severe state of the German economy and the critical state of the people that had no savings, no assets and practically no food. The Versailles treaty had simply been a recipe for destruction for the Weimar Republic and the crisis was the last straw leading to its demise. Hitler was the only...
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...Hitler’s Regime was a ‘consensus dictatorship’? A consensus dictatorship is on that suggests Hitler’s regime was surrounded by a general agreement. This would mean that the majority of the German public were in cooperation with the Nazi regime and agreed with both the enforced and promoted concept of the regime. Hitler had mainly achieved this by trying to ‘ win over the hearts and minds of all non-Jewish Germans’ this would mean he would have the majority of the Germans citizens on his side. However, it is also suggested that many of the people had only consented due to fear which can be inferred from source 5 that it was the methods of the Nazi apparatus of terror that had led to the people conforming. Although source 6 suggests, even without terror which wasn’t completely enforced on ordinary Germans, the German public had ‘little difficulty in conforming’. As source 6 suggests ‘Nazi terror posed no real threat to most ordinary Germans’ so most people were easily persuaded by popular policies to consent to the Nazi regime. Source 6 agrees that the Nazi Regime was a consensus dictatorship as the public knew of the terror the minority groups faced but chose to ignore it due to their own self-interest and advantages of Hitler’s policies. Evidence from reports produced by the SOPADE and SPD who were in exile indicates that the people viewed Nazi policies positively. Unemployment had also reduced falling to 350, 000 by January 1939. This prosperity the public faced due to Nazi reforms...
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...was the Nazi regime in 1933-1939? During the later years of the Weimar republic german society had started to struggle as the economy crashed in 1929 due to the wall crash. This led to the government struggling as they failed to deal with the depression as many different parties disagreed on policies. During that time the Nazi party was very small however rose to prominence in 1932 with 37% of the public vote largely due to the failed state of Germany and the fear of communism. It was viewed that the german people loved the Nazi and the Fuhrer however years after the regime ended historians started to question this view and this essay shall asses this. The Nazi regime often utilized propaganda as a form of manipulating there image and acknowledgment from the people. The nazi,s used leaflets, posters and radio to deploy there message and often strategecilly deployed messages to specific audiences such as talk of work and bread in working class areas and anti semetic messages to small shopkeepers and rallies were designed to create an emotional response from people. This was largely due to Joseph Goebbels who as well as using modern technologies to relay there message also helped create the hitler myth were he appeared as the saviour of Germany and its people wich contributed to the level of support. In 1933 Goebells promoted propaganda by briefing newspapers daily, content of newsreels was controlled and nazi messages were constantly played on the radio. The propaganda used could...
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...economy. During the Nazi Reich between 1933-1939, under Hitler as Fuhrer (supreme leader), the Nazi regime was able to successfully achieve aspects of totalitarianism by exerting tight control of the media and police; leading to control of certain aspects of German social, political, legal, economical and cultural life. However, there are significant features of the Nazi regime that simply fail to fit Friedrich's six, all encompassing concepts of totalitarianism. Central to the concept of totalitarianism is an official ideology encapsulating a monolithic party led by an omnipotent, almost God-like figurehead. Whilst Hitler, supported by the Fuhrer myth, certainly fits the totalitarian leader definition, the Nazi Party structure contradicts the characteristics of a coordinated central party. Within, power rested on individuals and not in party structure; leading to increasingly fragmented party policy and intensifying interpersonal frictions as individuals radicalised in attempts to please the Fuhrer. In this structure, accountable and rational decision making in the long term became impossible; leaders lost any sense of stability and improvised agencies and policies to enact the amorphous will of the leader. The most radical policy of all, the extermination of the Jews, arose as the outcome of this structure as the internally competitive dynamics generated more and more radical and ultimately self destructive policies. The "institutional anarchy" of the regime, in diametric opposition...
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...The vital element in maintaining Hitler’s regime remains one of the most controversial arguments amongst historians. There are many considerable factors. Historians such as Jaques Delarue and Hans Rothfels argue that terror was the main component to sustain control, whilst David Crew and Dick Geary believe it was propaganda that made it possible. However, there are other factors that are supported, for instance, contextual condition was backed by Ralph Flenly and Hans Rothfels and the people’s consent, as A.J.P. Taylor proposes, was the imperative constituent. Most historians have the same problem evaluating as they have different definitions for people’s consent. “Silent opposition” is the term used for the people who passively opposed. Dick Geary proposed, “Consent can only be measured in situations in which individuals can choose between real alternatives.” and opposition till death was not a real alternative. Therefore, “silent opposition” does not count for people’s consent. This hugely undermines the role of people’s consent in maintaining the regime as the most people were not actively involved in Nazi action despite its “overwhelming success” [1]. In the first interpretation, Flenly emphasized that although the German people were well-educated, they were blindfolded from the truth of what was really going on. The Nazis did make the German people more literate, for example, scheme of the People’s libraries where every parish of over 500 inhabitants was to have its...
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...the world. Though some historians recount the events from World War II from a general perspective and focus on the different military strategies and government policies, others discuss the individuals involved in the war and their influence on the causes and outcome of the war. Further on, historians tend to focus on the major leaders during the world: Churchill, Hitler, Roosevelt and De Gaulle. Nevertheless, some historians have paid close attention to those around these great leaders and discussed their influence over them and their respective government policies. Before the beginning of World War II, Adolf Hitler guided the Nazi party into power in Germany during the 1930’s. Hitler did not led Germany into war on its own, but with the help of a few close associates one of them being Joseph Goebbels. As one of the main directors of the Nazi Propaganda in Germany and other parts of Europe, Joseph Goebbels led Germany’s internal affairs during the war especially during the completion of most of Hitler’s objectives during his leadership. It is difficult to imagine Germany’s actions during the war without looking a Goebbels. He definitely changed the outcome of World War II by implementing public enlightenment policies to drive Germans against the Jews and other minorities as well as to encourage the German population to fight the Allies. Goebbels involvement in the war as Hitler’s most intimate allies made him one of the most important figures during the war, especially when discussing...
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...TOPIC: NAZI GERMANY Propaganda, terror and coercion underpinned the creation and maintenance of the Nazi state. Consider this in the period 1933-1939. The adage that perception is often stronger than reality has never been truer than in the Nazi state of 1933-1939, where image played a colossal role in the anti-semitic and Hitler myth propaganda of Joseph Goebbels. Image manufactured the fearful aura of the Gestapo as well as the ubiquitous representation of the law, both of which created and cemented acquiescence amongst the German population. It was through the creation of perception in Nazi society that propaganda, terror and coercion underpinned the creation and maintenance of the Nazi state. Any attempt to gauge the success of Nazi propaganda in the creation and maintenance of the Nazi state is somewhat difficult, as German society during 1933-1939 was so heavily influenced by terror and coercion that reported opinion did not necessarily reflect the true sentiment of the public. Nevertheless, it would be naïve to disregard the significant role that Nazi propaganda played in ensuring that the German public were unified in their support of the government. The most crucial objective of Nazi propaganda in the creation of the Nazi state was to create a new heightened national awareness. This was done through the creation of the Volksgemeinschaft (People’s Community), an institution that established cohesive community values. In order...
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...The 1936 Games were organized and convened under the shadow of the Nazi Party. The government used the Olympics as a means to promote their ideology and position within the international community. As such, the art and advertising associated with the Games had strict standards and symbolism embedded into their design. Adolf Hitler used the 1936 Games in an attempt to prove the superiority of the Aryan race, which failed when Jesse Owens won four gold medals. The Games were meant to be an international meeting of amateur athletes and instead became a showcase and propaganda machine for the National Socialist German Workers' Party leading up World War II. The Third Reich used posters in order to portray the Aryan race’s dominance and higher status...
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...characterized by a government system led by a dictator who exercises harsh and strict control over the citizens, and the commons are mandated to comply with the government rule without resistance. Most authoritarian regimes rely on nationality or race to garner influence and support for a centralized autocratic government. The main aim of a fascist government is to enhance national unity and maintain a stable order in the society by exercising the element of fear among the citizens. Totalitarianism was able to exercise influence, by garnering devotion from regime loyalist. Its prominent execution was purported to collectively influence the success of a country. Supporters of the regime were rewarded by significant posts and incentives while non-loyalists were expected to remain silent without questioning the administrations motives. Use of violence was supported by the administration system to neutralize any emergent form of oppression. Fascism was a prominent governing system that was established during the early twentieth century, based on the need to respond to western influence and assert dictatorial states as new world leaders. The common character present in both ideologies is the nation or state was put before the rest. If a state was conceived by fascist regimes then the nation would speaks would be organized, structured and from its unity arise above the rest (Eatwell, 2011).Stalwarts were the propellers of the movement, their role was to obey and follow the chain of command...
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...Germans opposed it or remained neutral towards it. The reasons for why Germans supported Hitler’s quest to annihilate the Jews was split between the distress of Germany that had been created by an economic crisis, threats that were carried out by the Nazi regime, and propaganda that was used to persuade Germans. Firstly, many Germans supported Hitler because during the Great Depression, which hit the citizens of Germany harshly, Germans were in need of a political savior. Therefore, they looked to Hitler and saw him as a determined leader who could save the nation (“Great Depression”). Furthermore, the Nazi Party threatened those who dared to oppose them. Some members of individual Nazi Party units were granted license to punish whomever they felt was against them, and perceived opponents were thrown in concentration camps (“Nazi Terror Begins”). In addition to pressuring the Germans with fear,...
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...The initial consolidation of the Nazi power in 1933The initial consolidation of the Nazi power in 1933-34 The initial consolidation of the Nazi power in 1933-34 takes form in three points: the German situation, the Nazi rootlessness, and the political acts and people that made it all possible. The German situation helped account for the initial consolidation of Nazi power in 1933-34. Due to the Wall Street Crash in 1929 the economy crashed all over the world, but none worse than in Germany. Due to the World War 1 payback, Germany was already suffering economically and they were only keeping afloat with the funds from US investors, but with the Wall Street Crash the investors withdrew their money from Germany resulting in businesses all over Germany collapsing; bankruptcy becoming nationwide and unemployment levels leapt upwards. The economic impact of this led many counties to move to protect their own domestic industries, resulting in high tariffs. In March 1930 and May 1932, the German Chancellor, Heinrich Bruning, pursued an orthodox economic policy of ridge deflation. The deflation involved increasing taxation and decreasing government expenditure. Then in July 1931, Germany suffered a major banking crisis. The country’s biggest banks, the Danat, went bankrupt. The impact this had for families meant that they were forced into poverty, Living on the streets, Health levels deteriorated, Children were forced to leave school early, Families broke up as men left to seek work...
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...Max Kiehne The Body Prof. Gordon Nazi Aesthetics The regime of the Nazi party had an explicitly approved form of art. Unlike the other totalitarian regimes of the era, the approved forms of art were firmly integrated into their iconography and ideology, and excluded any other art movement, including those that were popular at the time. These approved forms of art held a limited number of themes, which were repeated as often as necessary, in order to portray the values the Nazis deemed relevant to their cause. These values were, of course, fundamentally nationalistic, and those themes approved by the government were meant to glorify not only the Aryan race, but specifically the German nation. The Harvest: The painting Out To Harvest, by Oskar Martin-Amorbach, is a typical, governmentally approved, work of Nazi art. It depicts a family of farmers going out to harvest on what seems to be a summer day in a typical German countryside. It shows three generations of that family, a young boy at about 4-5 years of age, his mother, and what appear to be his father, grandfather, and a young woman who might be his older sister or aunt. As it’s title implies they are going out to harvest, for they are carrying scythes and rakes for harvesting and a small handheld basket, presumably holding their lunch for the day. In the background is portrayed a typical German landscape, rolling hills as far as they eye could see, symbolizing the Nazis’ slogan of Blood and Soil. Farm Life: What...
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...the holocaust. They were utterly tricked/ fooled into becoming moraless monsters, seekers without the ability to see, and hopelessly hoping for a better nation. A. “All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach”-Adolf Hitler B. “All news is lies and all propaganda is disguised as news.”-Willi Munzenberg 1. aAn information/idea put out in order to persuade a certain group of people to behave in a certain manner/ bias is propaganda. 2. Hitler needed a way for everyone in Germany to in gulp, and develop his thinking on the Jewish race, thus leading to the mass production of Nazi propaganda throughout the German population. C. “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.”- (Elie Wiesel, 1928-2016) 1. Holocaust is a word referring to a genocide, or massive slaughter of something/someone. know the word holocaust...
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...Propaganda in Nazi Germany The Nazi party emerged in the late 20s and early 30s, led by a charismatic right wing leader, Hitler led the Nazis to power as the Nazis offered many ideals that were attractive to the German people who were ready to accept any help after the disaster the Treaty of Versailles and Weimar Republic brought onto them. By 1932 the Nazis had around 200 seats in the Reichstag (parliament) and their power kept on growing until Hitler was appointed as Chancellor of German in 1933 giving him and the Nazis virtually complete control over Germany as Germany became a single party state, meaning that the Nazis had no opposing parties that could challenge their power. The Nazi’s strong grip over Germany was a product of their vigorous and effective use of propaganda that was able to alter the opinions of the German public and eliminating any potential threat to their power. Hitler was very concerned with propaganda; he made sure every citizens was exposed to it from children to the workers. He even hired individuals to take care of these matters such as Joseph Goebbels who was Minister for “enlightenment” and propaganda, Goebbels was a fanatic of Hitler believing he was the “savior” of Germany, the book describes Goebbels saying “Goebbels constantly kept his finger on the pulse of public opinion and decided what the German public should and should not hear” though the book might not be very reliable as it is a western book who may hold very exaggerated views on...
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