Propaganda and Censorship
Censorship is the control or suppression of information, ideas, or expressions by a government or authority.

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 Overview: Why the Nazis Controlled Media and Culture

• Main goals:
  • Promote Nazi ideology (e.g., Aryan superiority, loyalty to Hitler, anti-Semitism).
  • Control public opinion and suppress opposition.
  • Create a unified, obedient society (Volksgemeinschaft).
• Joseph Goebbels: Minister of Propaganda (Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda) from 1933.

 Books

• Censorship:
  • Non-Nazi or "un-German" books banned (Jewish, communist, liberal authors).
  • Strict control over what could be published.
• Book burnings:
  • 10 May 1933: Nazi students held public burnings of banned books (e.g., by Einstein, Freud, Remarque).
  • Aimed to cleanse German culture of "degenerate" ideas.
• Promotion of Nazi literature:
  • Books glorifying war, the Führer, and racial ideology were mass produced and distributed.

Art and Sculpture

• "Degenerate Art" banned:
  • Modern, abstract, or non-representational art was outlawed (e.g., expressionism, Dada).
  • Artists like Kandinsky and Picasso rejected.
• Nazi-approved art:
  • Classical, realistic styles showing idealized Aryan families, soldiers, farmers, and Hitler.
  • Promoted Nazi values: strength, motherhood, racial purity.
• Great German Art Exhibition: Displayed approved works in contrast to the "Degenerate Art Exhibition."
• Sculpture:
  • Monumental, muscular figures symbolizing Aryan perfection and power.

Newspapers

• Nazi control:
  • Independent newspapers shut down or taken over.
  • By 1939, two-thirds of newspapers were run by the Nazi party or Goebbels’ ministry.
• Content:
  • Carefully censored and filled with Nazi propaganda.
  • Spread anti-Semitic messages and Hitler’s speeches.
• People's perception: Many read them, but trust declined as they became predictable and one-sided.

Cinema

• Entertainment + propaganda:
  • Goebbels believed film should entertain but also subtly promote Nazi ideas.
  • All scripts and content had to be approved.
• Newsreels:
  • Mandatory in all cinemas before feature films.
  • Showed Nazi rallies, speeches, military victories.
• Propaganda films:
  • Triumph of the Will (1935) by Leni Riefenstahl glorified the Nuremberg Rally.
  • The Eternal Jew (1940) – deeply anti-Semitic.

Music

• Banned music:
  • Jazz and swing seen as “degenerate” and “black” music.
  • Music by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn banned.
• Promoted music:
  • Traditional German folk songs.
  • Classical music by German composers like Wagner (favored by Hitler).

Posters

• Massive use of visual propaganda:
  • Simple, bold, and emotional.
  • Promoted Nazi values: anti-Semitism, Hitler worship, military strength, unity.
• Target audience:
  • Easily understood by all Germans, even children or those who couldn’t read.

Radio

• The "People’s Receiver" (Volksempfänger):
  • Cheap radios made widely available — 70% of households owned one by 1939.
  • Limited range: could only receive Nazi stations.
• Content:
  • Hitler’s speeches broadcast regularly.
  • Constant stream of Nazi-approved music, news, and ideology.
• Public broadcasting:
  • Speakers set up in workplaces, schools, and streets so everyone could hear.