Introduction
The history of the Second World War cannot be studied without analyzing Adolf Hitler’s role as the greatest arch-propagandist the world has ever known. To attract the masses and spread his primary message, this German leader relied on various strategies and initiatives that made it easier for more citizens to be part of his agenda for Europe. Following the end of the First World War, Germany was found culpable of causing great trouble ad compelled to pay reparations for such damages under the London Schedule Payments (1921) and the Treaty of Versailles (1919). For Hitler, such a move sounded erroneous and they believed that there was a need to pursue a new continental order. The establishment of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party led to the adoption of a properly coordinated propaganda campaign that would prepare the country for war.
Literature Review: Hitler’s Use of Propaganda and Fear-Mongering
For centuries, human beings have used propaganda to promote societal, cultural, and religious ideologies. The process gains additional meaning when politicians rely on the strategy to guide and compel the masses to support or be part of a certain course. Between 1930 and 1940, Hitler’s party, also known as the Nazi party, used full-scale propaganda that would later become the best case study for studying war, prejudice, and racism (Nicolaides 2018). With Hitler at the helm of the country’s leadership in the early 1930s, his government adopted a unique form of messaging that spread anti-Semitic messages against the Jews. For instance, one poster identified Jews as lice capable of triggering various diseases, such as typhus (see Fig. 1). The emerging ideology is believed to have helped manipulate most of the citizens and soldiers at the time. The first outstanding goal by Hitler revolved around getting rid of the Jews in the country since he saw them as parasites and capable of disorienting the country’s future.
To achieve meaningful success and support the extermination of the Jews, Hitler’s Nazi party adopted a wide range of technologies that would sensitize and inform more people. Some of the common ones included mass printing, radio, and films (Martin 2020). The strategy would make it easier for Hitler to persuade his followers that the Jews formed the true enemy of the country (Nicolaides 2018). This effort would become the central theme behind launching an assault against members of this race. The involvement of more Nazi leaders in propaganda would result in the development of an unprecedented sense of pride founded on German identity. Consequently, the people would become convinced that the time had come to get rid of all Jews in the country.
While the focus at the time could be to encourage the people to develop anti-Semitic views, Hitler was also aware of his anticipated project for the wider European continent. During the same period, Hitler was rebuilding Germany’s military forces through increased spending and prioritization of key projects. Following the identification of the country as the primary source of problems in the continent, Germany had been forced to encounter numerous limitations in military spending (Martin 2020). Hitler was also aware that the pronounced reparations would have negative implications for the country’s future economy. Through some of his key people, Hitler would set the best environment for using propaganda to drive the masses and encourage them to start supporting his course.
Towards the end of the 1920s, Hitler appointed some individuals who would help support the propaganda effort and ensure that desired outcomes were recorded. For instance, Joseph Goebbels would become the chief propagandist for the Nazi party. Specifically, Hitler had a unique ministry focusing mainly on his propaganda (Fürstenau 2020). The name of such a government unit was the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Goebbels would be instructed to become the head of the department and consider the best ways to convince more people about the dangers Jews posed to the economy (Harwani 2019). These efforts would make it possible for the Nazi party to continue using the weapon to spread the intended messages while creating favorable conditions for launching a new upheaval.
Towards the end of the 1920s, Goebbels’ ministry was informing the people about a German gospel whereby the people were keen to get rid of the Jews. This achievement would eventually provide most citizens with the best resources and develop a sense of nationalism and unity. The individuals would become proud of the country and be ready to fight and defend it by all means. It was also a clear indication that the propaganda tool was making significant gains toward convincing the people to identify themselves with Hitler since he was the best savior for the nation (Goldberg 2017). The effectiveness of Goebbels would make it easier for more people to begin following and idolizing the Nazi party leader.
The power of propaganda made it easier for Goebbels to sensitize the people about the importance of a stronger nation. The followers of the Nazi party were informed of Hitler’s expedited efforts to rebuild Germany and take it back to its glory. Goebbels launched a new campaign whereby people were issued portraits of the leaders to hang in their workplaces and homes (Aslan 2017). In 1938, F. Thiele, a great artist at the time, painted an inspirational portrait of the leader that helped promote Hitler’s agenda and the power of the Nazi party (Martin 2020). Additionally, most of the leaders who gave their speeches were keen to adore and pronounce the abilities of Hitler. These efforts would encourage more young and old people to idolize him and embrace his thoughts.
The use of propaganda was also directed at social and business affairs in the country. For instance, Goebbels wrote and published numerous essays that guided people to adore Hitler and disassociate themselves from the Jews. The ministry went further to use penned articles and films since they could be viewed by the masses (Posternyak, Boeva-Omelechko and Borisovn 2018). Goebbels and his team focused on the best ways to support the production of films that would support the propaganda effort. The people would be easily convinced about Hitler’s plan for the country and the desire to control Europe.
Before and during the start of the Second World War, Hitler was aware that the time had come to expand the use of propaganda and send the intended messages to the people. At the time, Goebbels was keen to promote a new wave that portrayed the Nazi party as the true hero and savior of the nation. The people were meant to acknowledge that the country was facing a constant threat from the Allied powers. According to Aslan (2017), Hitler educated the people to understand that such enemies were acting on behalf of the Jews and could do anything to protect them. The Germans were informed about the presence of villains in the country who supported the primary enemies.
This strategic use of propaganda encouraged more people to become part of the Nazi ideology. The approach also created a scenario whereby the war in Europe was viewed as an upheaval whereby the Nazi party was portrayed as the key defender of the country. The issuance of such misinformation was critical since most of the citizens were aware that the outcomes of the First World War were still haunting the country (Martin, 2020). With the ongoing conflict in Europe, propaganda made it possible for the people to become more involved since they were afraid of a second loss. According to most of the leaders at the time, chances were extremely high that any form of loss could trigger an annihilation of the people’s spiritual, economic, military, and even political identities in Europe (Allen and McAleer 2019). At the same time, the people would support the efforts put in place to get rid of the Jews. Through the power of propaganda, most of the citizens would start identifying them as warmongers who had forced the United States and other countries to declare war against Germany.
In some instances, those involved in promoting propaganda presented messages that appeared to encourage the people to fight and become part of the war. For example, Goldberg (2017) identifies one of the pamphlets issued in the early 1940s to sensitize more citizens about the importance of fighting to avoid any form of Americanization. According to the Nazi party, such a path could result in the subsequent oppression of the people and the eventual destruction of the existing culture. Another propagandist by the name of Heinrich Goitsch was keen to indicate that the possible loss of the ongoing war in Europe could result in the extinction of the nation (Martin 2020). These messages were quite inspirational and continued to encourage more people in the country to be part of the war.
The outlined messages could amount to fear-mongering whereby the people were sensitized about most of the challenges they stood to encounter if Germany lost the ongoing war. The possible loss of culture and the elimination of the country were powerful messages that compelled more people to become part of the ongoing upheaval (O’Shaughnessy 2017). They were convinced that the time had come for them to fight and help prevent the nation from falling into the hands of the enemy. The same case was for the initiatives aimed at proving charity. Those who joined feared that the ongoing war could leave many desperate or incapable of fighting poverty.
To support the people, the Nazi party went further to implement strategies for propaganda that focused on the plight of children and women. For example, the National Socialist People’s Welfare Organization (NSV) was launched to implement the charity efforts of the Nazis (Martin 2020). In one of the famous posters of this propaganda, a woman with her child is depicted getting some form of help from a Nazi soldier (see Fig. 1). The message emerging from the poster was that the party was keen to protect the health of women and children and ensure that the risk of poverty remained as low as possible (Goldberg 2017). With the NSV focusing on the welfare of the people, Nazis were keen to adopt the power of propaganda and encourage more people to join NSV.
This analysis has revealed that German propaganda was carefully crafted in such a way that it promoted the idolization of Hitler while promoting anti-Semitic messages. The people were exposed to deceiving messages through continued suppression of the truth. The information amounted to fear-mongering whereby more citizens were compelled to become part of the ongoing projects and agendas in the whole of Europe (Martin 2020). Before and during the Second World War, it was quite clear that Hitler succeeded in transforming Germany into a country that promoted anti-Semitism. The people were also willing to join the military and fight to undo the reparations and damages arising from the infamous First World War (Yoo 2017). Hitler’s government would pursue unification through the continuous manipulation and use of different tools of mass media. Consequently, such efforts made it possible for the Nazis to continue fighting to the very end.
Conclusion
The completed discussion and evidences reveal that Nazi Germany will always remain the best case for analyzing the effective use of fully pledged propaganda. In this scenario, Hitler ensured that his methods revolved around every citizen. The government of the time relied on all possible tools of mass media to persuade people from all walks of life to be part of the process and consider the existing problems associated with the Allied powers and the Jews. This effective use of fear-mongering and propaganda would encourage more people to support the extermination of the Jews and rally behind Hitler’s overambitious project of Europe.
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