Propaganda During Nazi Germany : Film And Propaganda

Just like France, the United States, and Russia, Germany also began to make films, as a way to entertain the working class in an inexpensive way. By 1933 Adolf Hitler came to power, creating very harsh social condition that made several writers, actors, and directors flee Germany because they feared that if they stayed they would have gotten killed. Joseph Goebbels later came to run the UFA, as a government owned production company to make films that were shown to civilians and the military as propaganda on March 13 , 1933, and intended to censor German cinema to make the people believe that they were fascist. Numerous movies in that period of time tried to steer clear of talking about the Holocaust to distract people from what was really happening and to make Hitler seem almost godlike. One film in particular directed by Leni Riefenstahl called The Triumph of the Will became a well known example of propaganda in film history. Throughout the film, you really get to experience a sense of historical context that influenced thousands of people during the time of World War 2. Today, several people view The Triumph of the Will and have a difficult time distinguishing whether or not they can conclude if they view the film as propaganda or an actual piece of art.

Prior to his upbringing and continuing, anti-Semitism propaganda was abundant in production. Nonetheless, Hitler established a Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry's aim was to ensure the Nazi’s anti-semitic message was successfully spread through any mode of communication. The propaganda reignited the resentment and underlying hatred inside every German through the exploitation of anti-semetic myths entrenched in the European culture for generations. Propaganda also encouraged passivity and acceptance of the impending measures against Jews, as these appeared to depict the Nazi government restoring

Adolf Hitler, political leader of the National Socialist or Nazi party, promoted the usage propaganda. In his book, Mein Kampf, he stated, “Propaganda makes [the public] ripe for the victory of [anyone’s] ideas.” To establish German support, the Nazi party used propagandistic posters and film. One of the Nazi’s most effective examples of propaganda was the German director, Leni Riefentstal’s film that documented the pro-Nazi Nuremberg rally of 1934.

There are, of course, other examples of this seen. One of these examples includes the form of newspapers such as Der Strümer (an anti-Semitic newspaper). As mentioned above, one of the leading uses of propaganda for the Nazi regime was film, which is also mentioned in this article. A particular film it

Following his rise to power, Hitler established Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda; led by Joseph Goebbels. The goal of this group was to ensure that the Nazi messages were being communicated through all forms of media. Another form of propaganda that made Nazism appealing was the promotion of Nazi ideals through newspapers, leaflets and posters. In chapter 22 of “Defying Hitler,” it seems that newspapers in particular, played a significant role in the appeal of Nazism. By the end of March 1933 the Nazis were ready to initiate the first act of their revolution; the first act was to boycott Jews. “It had been thought up by Hitler and Goebbels over teas and biscuits…the Sunday before.” So that Sunday night Hitler and Goebbels were discussing the headline and article that would be written in Monday’s paper. That

Adolf Hitler was a brilliant man, in the sense that he could persuade the masses to conform to his ideologies so successfully. He was a master at the art of propaganda, which can be noted by reading his autobiography entitled ‘Mein Kampf’, specifically the section discussing propaganda and mass rallies. In this section, Hitler discusses how to produce good propaganda and explains why his version of propaganda is so effective. An example of Hitler’s propaganda would be his documentary film entitled ‘Triumph of the Will’, which thoroughly demonstrates the profound effectiveness of his propaganda, which still impresses people living in the modern day. The overall theme of the film is Germany’s return as one of the great powers of the world, with Hitler as the new leader who will bring glory back to Germany.

During WWII, there was a lot of propaganda that included the German’s idea of a healthy life that was promoted as the best way to live. One photo, from the 1936 Berlin Olympics depicts statues showing the ideal Germany body. Much of the other propaganda pieces include the Nazi’s outlook on smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Some of these pieces include a drawing of a man being “devoured” by a cigarette with the caption “He does not devour it (the cigarette) it devours him”, and another piece showing a woman holding her young child with the caption “Mothers avoid alcohol and nicotine”. Magazines and newspapers also sought to promote the NAZI ideals from quotes that say “Brother National Socialist, do you know that our fuhrer is against

Joseph Goebbels was also in control of the film department.  Goebbels ordered Pro-Nazi films to be made.  Newsreels told what the Nazis wanted the people to believe and know.  The movie The Eternal Jew was a produced and promoted anti-Jewish film.

Leni Riefenstahl was offered the opportunity to film for the Third Reich in 1933. Out of both fear and intimidation to comply, Riefenstahl accepted this offer and in 1934 went on to film the Nuremburg Rally, known as ‘Triumph of the Will’. With a crew of roughly 170, combined with Riefenstahl’s exceptional skills, she achieved the Ministry of Propaganda’s ideal to portray Hitler in a God-like and heroic manner, with the first 10 minutes dedicated solely to him. The purpose of this film was exactly that, to subconsciously coerce the public into viewing and idolising Hitler as the one and only, ‘Fuhrer’. This further added to the primary perception of Riefenstahl as a propagandist due to the nature of the films and their intentions.

A propaganda film implies powerful imagery and values delivered through cinematography, and film encapsulates not only manipulation of the audience, but also of footage itself. Implementation of distant and close up shots, variation in angles and speeds of camera movement, as well as precise timing of audio in relation to the film, create an expansive landscape of the Nazi party. The most iconic images of Hitler and party members are captured through Triumph of the Will, with Riefenstahl using landscape shots to present the magnitude of people, contrasted by extreme close-ups of significant party members. Through her masterful techniques, Riefenstahl cemented how to properly garner an emotional response from the audience. As emotions fade along with ties to the source material, opinions diversify and request closer inspection of a topic that was once deemed as a weapon of

In the creation of the last two films Munchhausen (1943) and Kolberg (1945) Goebbels was attempting to spread the Nazi ideals far beyond just the German people. He wished to attack Hollywood head on, because they had a much larger viewing audience that he wished to turn into his viewing audience. “I shall not relax until the entire European film industry belongs to us” (Rentschler 216).

Paul Joseph Goebbels was born on the 29th of October in the year 1897. He was a German politician and he served as the Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from the years 1933 to 1945. A large part of Joseph Goebbels’s infamy was that he was very influential and manipulative towards his target population, proving that influence is obtainable through propaganda and pressure.

Propaganda was the Nazi’s motivation. There are many forms of propaganda, including, newspapers, journals, pamphlets, etc (Kaplan 12). Joseph Goebbels was a propagandist (Adams 9). He thought propaganda has no method. Propaganda is in the mind, is what Goebbels thought (Adams15).

Goebbels became a member of the Nazi party, He too was the head of Propaganda and was a brilliant speaker, with a resonant voice, and had a particular talent for presenting Nazi policies in the media, especially on radio. The Nazis made propaganda

Although radio was Hitlers primary way to influence the masses when he was deporting jews to the concentration camps he needed a means to justify his actions so he called upon Goebbels to make a movie called "Judd Suss" it was about a Evil conniving jew who wanted to rid a peaceful german town of all peace and plunder it into chaos. The german people loved the movie and it received positive reviews from critics, however the movie had a very powerful undertone and that was that jews are evil. The movie worked so well it is said that after seeing the movie a group of hitler youth killed an elderly man just for being a jew. But Goebbels was not done yet he made another movie this one far more blatant called "The Eternal Jew". The movie demonized jews and called them "A plague to humanity" they also compared jews to rats and referred to them as non-human and that they must be exterminated like rats. "Propaganda can make heaven seem like hell and hell seem like heaven it can make the most terrible living conditions seem like paradise" -Adolf