Written By: Mika Lai
From the defeat of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles to Hyperinflation during the Weimar Republic, Germans were frustrated with the harsh realities of their once proud nation. Between 1919-1945- exploiting the German disappointment- Hitler guaranteed a restoration of employment, order and glory, rising through the ranks and ultimately paving a path to becoming the Fuhrer. The reason the Nazi regime was able to come to power in Germany was from the compelling use of fear and intimidation tactics by the police state and propaganda- persuasive mass communication that frames issues in a way that strongly favours particular interests (Oxford, 2022). Alongside the employment of Chief propagandist, Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi regime indoctrinated their ideologies of anti-semitism and nationalism. However, Employment of propaganda, including: rallies, posters and radios, were only somewhat significantly responsible for the upbringing of totalitarian Nazi Germany as there were more significant factors such as fear and intimidation tactics and persecution of opponents that allowed the Nazi party to dominate Germany.
Rallies were a significant form of propaganda, in particular the Nuremberg Rallies. Between summers of 1933-1939, over 1 million of the population- from the military, members of the party, youth groups and any ordinary German- would attend the 8 day rally, which proceeded with Hitler’s authoritative speeches, marches, fireworks, concerts and folk festivals. This was significant because Hitler’s authoritative speeches promoted nationalism, gaining support from most Germans who desired a nationalist state after the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles. Marches accentuated control amidst the disasters of Hindenburg’s moderate government and the Great Depression, portraying the Regime’s organisation and capabilities. Fireworks, concerts, festivals conveyed celebration, sparking elation and exhilaration, overall, making Germans feel within a community, boosting morale and confidence towards the Nazi alliance. In addition, the structure of the rallies enabled the new German hierarchy: Hitler stood at the top of the stadium, the army below him, and the Germans behind the army, depicting Hitler’s status and power over the masses. Rallies swayed the German youths, who enjoyed Hitler’s emotional, patriotic speeches and found the rallies to be full of excitement, and externally, Germans witnessed the Nazis fulfilling their promise of bringing order and unity to Germany. It should also be noted that in 1933 Hitler had become chancellor- ending the Weimar period. Goebbels exploited the disorder of the Weimar period and election, by contrasting the democratic environment with a strong, nationalist one that most people longed for after 1919. Since Hitler had become chancellor, rallies were significant in allowing him to prove his competence, showing how quickly and capable he was to establish discipline, control and power, concurrently demonstrating a “community of the Volk ''. However, the effectiveness of rallies were short-term. Germans claimed that the rallies became repetitive, boring, with speeches that were ‘too familiar’. Especially during the war, Hitler’s presence diminished, as he prioritised all resources and capital towards the war. People saw less of him and participation declined. Local party officials reported Nazis increasingly pressuring people into attending the rallies each year, therefore showing that rallies did not have a very significant long-lasting impact, and only temporarily boosted enthusiasm. During the peak of WW2(after 1941), Germans simply stopped joining rallies due to the low morale of defeat.
“Repeat a lie a thousand times and it will become the truth” (Goebbels, 1941). Posters were another significant form of propaganda, in which, through their different designs and slogans, formed biases that allowed the Nazis to indoctrinate their views to different subsets of the populations. This was implemented with 3 principles: the Deification of Hitler, suppressing the opposition and uniting the people. In Figure 1, the white glow outlining Hitler, establishes a halo effect, where Hitler appears to be angelic, guarding Germany. The poster also constructs an authority bias, giving the impression that Hitler has the jurisdiction over the whole nation. Figure 2, also symbolises Hitler’s authority, persuading German children to join Hitler Youth, deifying Hitler by portraying a child looking up to him like a godly figure. Similarly figure 3, positions Hitler adjacent to past, notable German leaders, such as Frederick the Great, Von Bismarck and von Hindenburg, emphasising the legitimacy of Hitler’s position (Bie, 2016). The Nazis also targeted niche demographics, steering what had appeared to be the ‘public opinion’. “Win or Bolshevism ''(Figure 4), directly implying communism to be on the losing side. Moreover, the division of light and dark mirroring the good and evil between what is depicted to be glorified Aryans and suffering Communists, evidently contends the negative opinion Nazis had on communism. Figure 5 targets the Africans living in Germany, stating “Degenerate music, a bill from state councillor Dr. H.S Ziegler”. Ziegler was a notable German publicist and teacher, even though he was a Nazi party official, having a well-known, educated figure endorse the Nazi opinion, legitimised the opinion that Jazz music was profligate. Furthermore, Jewish features like the top hat and star of David were purposely depicted to simultaneously form an association between what the Nazis had believed to be less than. Lastly, during hyperinflation (1921-1923), Hitler used ambiguous quotes like “Work, Freedom, Bread” (Figure 6), seizing the attention of economically suffering Germans. These simple slogans made it relatable and appealed to every German, especially at the time when bread was worth 80 billion Rentenmarks and unemployment rates skyrocketed. Posters significantly sustained Hitler’s power, defeated opposition and validated German opinion on different issues. Posters were more significant to the police state at the time, since they were recognizable; spotted around the streets at every turn, and at the time a strong army presence that was significant enough to sway the population, had not been established yet. Each design and slogan was different depending on the message Hitler wanted to express. People did not need to be educated to understand them- they were simple and comprehensible. Seeing them everywhere acted as evidence, confirming the “truth” that the Nazis had spread around Germany. Despite the extremist slogans, most Germans were nationalist and anti-semitic, Hitler just merely brought these opinions out of the German people, and allowed them to vocalise it publicly. This brought support, because Germans would feel that they could relate to numerous themes of the regime.
Radios were “The spiritual weapon of the totalitarian state” (Goebbels, 1938). Where politics were “determined by press”. Goebbels understood the influence of the press during the French Revolution; he concluded that “radios would be the twentieth century what the press was for the nineteenth century”. At the time, radios were relatively new technology - Goebbels unique selling point- he requisitioned the government to subsidise millions of cheap radios allocating them to citizens. In 1923, there were only 500 frequent radio users, but by 1932, there were over 4 million subscribers- soon, over 33 million people ages 14 and up possessed a radio. In 1933 Goebbels even introduced the Volkskempfanger: ‘the people’s receiver’, a German radio made affordable for any ordinary German, allowing only low frequencies to be picked up, meaning foreign broadcasts could not be received. Under supervision of Eugen Hadamowsky, head of the Chamber of Radio, broadcasts of Hitler’s speeches and music boosted the German patriarchal pride that had always been prevalent throughout the years. The 11 hour program soon became 24 hours and was even translated to 12 different languages. Radios were crucial in Nazi Germany as they allowed information to be communicated easily, quickly and uniformly to the masses. Not only did they manage to reach the German population, but the Nazis also acquired the radio broadcasted to occupied territories and other nations: In Britain, William Joyce, a fascist, Nazi broadcaster, gained the nickname “Lord Haw-Haw” for his radio shows in the UK. “Axis Sally” known as Mildred Gillars, was also a Nazi supporter, who broadcasted English propaganda for the European Axis powers during the second world war. It was evident that the “eight great power”- the radio- was very successful, reaching international borders, directly promoting the Nazi government.
Nevertheless, fear tactics were another factor that was more responsible for the rise of Nazi Germany. Following Hitler’s Chancellery, Hitler worked his way up to the command of multiple military and paramilitary organisations: the SS, Gestapo and the Army. The SS served for the NSDAP, under the authority of Heinrich Himmler, who by 1944 procured over one million highly-trained Aryan soldiers. The alliance branched into three subdivisions. The SD investigated potential disloyalty within armed forces or political cases, keeping file of suspicious German people. The Death’s Head unit who delegated with concentration camps, the transportation and murder of Jews. Lastly the Waffen, which fought alongside the German Army. As power grew the SS even formed their own courts, which sent 200,000 Germans to concentration camps. This displayed the power Nazis held over Germany, to the point where they were capable of corrupting the criminal justice and judicial system. The Gestapo served under the Nazis as a secret state police. This was the most crucial organisation to the police force since Germans were unaware of who actually was part of the organisation. The Gestapo had the jurisdiction to arrest any citizen and send them to concentration camps without evidence. The Gestapo also employed volunteer informants, which virtually meant that the German people could no longer trust each other. The Gestapo quickly became the most feared organisation of the Nazi regime, since Germans overestimated the power of the Gestapo; and consequently, the German people would betray and inform on each other because they thought the Gestapo would find out anyway. The police force was more significant than propaganda since armed forces sparked fear, which led to the obedience of the Germans, in fear of the consequences for speaking out and provoking the new authority.
The police state also persecuted opposition, ensuring Hitler’s domination over Germany. A month after Hitler’s chancellery(1933), Hitler exploited the Reichstag fire, putting the blame on communists with no evidence. This enabled him to break up communist meetings and arrest communists, ultimately leading to the ban of the communist party. Hitler also took advantage of the situation by establishing the Enabling Act, which would allow him to authorise laws without consulting the Reich. SS members surrounded and intimidated the members of the Reich, and the Enabling Act was passed. Night of the long knives(1934), allowed Hitler to avoid betrayals within his own party. After long-term suspicions of Ernest Rohm’s intentions, Hitler claimed Rohm was planning to commit treason and instructed the SS to break into Rohm’s and other leading SA figures' houses, arresting them. In the end 400 officers, including Rohm were executed. With assistance from the Enabling Act, Hitler passed the Nuremberg Law, which revoked Jews of their citizenship; furthermore, in 1938, (Kirstallnacht) 10,000 shops owned by Jews were looted by the Nazi regime. 91 Jews were murdered, 20,000 were taken to concentration camps, and Hitler even ordered the Jews to pay 1 million in compensation for the damages. The Enabling Act from the Reichstag fire enabled Hitler to virtually become the dictator of Germany, passing laws without the approval of the Reich. Night of the Long Knives took down opponents within his own party and prevented betrayal within his regime. The attack against Jews, demonstrated to Germans how Hitler would respond to rebellion. Removal of opposition was more pertinent than propaganda as they guaranteed a path of domination by terminating any threats.
The utilisation of propaganda, including: rallies, posters and radios, were only somewhat significantly responsible for the upbringing of totalitarian Nazi Germany as fear and intimidation tactics as well as persecution of opponents allowed the Nazi party to dominate Germany. The police state which used fear tactics and repressed opposition was arguably more effective and overall significant in the way it prevented people from rebelling to the state, and removed groups who had different ideologies to the Nazis.
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