Controlling and influencing attitudes

Goebbels and the Ministry of Propaganda

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Photo of Joseph Goebbels — Figure caption,
Joseph Goebbels

Hitler and the Nazi Party were a constant presence in the life of the German people, with:

the infamous Swastika symbol appearing on every government uniform and public building
pictures of Hitler displayed everywhere
Germans having to greet each other with a ‘Heil Hitler’ raised arm salute

Poster for the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, Germany.

The government department responsible for all of this was the Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda, headed by Dr Joseph Goebbels. It aimed to brainwash people into obeying the Nazis and idolising Hitler. Its methods included:

Censorship of the press. All newspapers were controlled by the government and could only print stories favourable to the Nazi regime.
Control of radio broadcasts. People's radios were sold very cheaply so that most Germans could afford one. All radio output was controlled by Goebbels’ ministry through the Reich Broadcasting Corporation.
Mass rallies. These public displays of support for Nazism involved music, speeches and demonstrations of German strength. The biggest one was held each year in August at Nuremberg.
Use of sports events. Berlin hosted the Olympics of 1936, which the Nazis used as an opportunity to showcase the success of the regime and to demonstrate the superiority of the race. The victories of the African-American athlete Jesse Owens for the USA infuriated the Nazi leadership.

Loudspeakers in public places also blared out Nazi . Much of the information Germans received reinforced the message of Aryan racial superiority whilst demonising the Jews and other ‘enemies’ of the regime.

Nazi control of culture and the arts

Type	German influence
Art	The Weimar period had seen a flourishing of German art, much of which was abstract. Hitler saw this modern art as ‘degenerate’ and over 6500 works of art were removed from display across Germany. Hitler encouraged ‘Aryan art’ instead, which showed the physical and military power of Germany and the Aryan race.
Architecture	Hitler was very interested in architecture and believed it could be used to project the power of the Nazi regime. The most important architect of the period was Albert Speer, who redesigned Berlin, as well as designing the stadium in Nuremberg where annual rallies were held.
Literature	The Nazis infamously organised mass book burnings in 1933, which saw mostly Jewish authors’ works ceremonially destroyed.
Theatre	Works by certain playwrights were banned. Nazi-produced political plays and musicals were not very popular so the regime allowed classic plays by the likes of Shakespeare to be performed.
Film	Films were popular forms of entertainment but Goebbels saw them as a form of escapism for Germans. Directors such as Leni Riefenstahl created patriotic films such as Triumph of the Will (1935).
Music	In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining huge popularity.

Art
German influence	The Weimar period had seen a flourishing of German art, much of which was abstract. Hitler saw this modern art as ‘degenerate’ and over 6500 works of art were removed from display across Germany. Hitler encouraged ‘Aryan art’ instead, which showed the physical and military power of Germany and the Aryan race.

Architecture
German influence	Hitler was very interested in architecture and believed it could be used to project the power of the Nazi regime. The most important architect of the period was Albert Speer, who redesigned Berlin, as well as designing the stadium in Nuremberg where annual rallies were held.

Literature
German influence	The Nazis infamously organised mass book burnings in 1933, which saw mostly Jewish authors’ works ceremonially destroyed.

Theatre
German influence	Works by certain playwrights were banned. Nazi-produced political plays and musicals were not very popular so the regime allowed classic plays by the likes of Shakespeare to be performed.

Film
German influence	Films were popular forms of entertainment but Goebbels saw them as a form of escapism for Germans. Directors such as Leni Riefenstahl created patriotic films such as Triumph of the Will (1935).

Music
German influence	In classical music, works by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Mahler were banned and the works of the German composer Wagner were promoted, gaining huge popularity.

The Nazis’ interest in and influence on all of these areas demonstrates the extent to which the party sought to control German life and win over the population to the Nazi cause.

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Nazi control and dictatorship 1933-1939 - EdexcelControlling and influencing attitudes