Propaganda and Censorship
Censorship is the control or suppression of information, ideas, or expressions by a government or authority.
Overview: Why the Nazis Controlled Media and Culture
Books
Art and Sculpture
Newspapers
Cinema
Music
Posters
Radio
- 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.