Propaganda's influence on the Youth of Germany
Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels both believed that propaganda was the prominent tool which would help sway the naïve minds of the German youth towards Nazi ideology. The Nazi’s propaganda director Dr. Joseph Goebbels knew that propaganda was the key to gaining mass support from the youth; it allowed the Nazi party to advertise their ideals quickly and effectively. Their view on propaganda affiliated with Hitler’s Gliechschaltung philosophy, propaganda aided the Nazi party in aligning the youth with Nazi ideology; creating a coordinate state, party and media.
Goebbels mission was to ‘censor all opposition to the Nazi party and present the chancellor and the Nazi party in the most positive light while stirring up hatred for Jewish people’ (History.com, 2010). This belief corroborates with Goebbels’ duty to the Nazi party. It gives an analysis of historical knowledge on the time period as well as providing secondary evidence towards his views on propaganda. This conviction is also prominent through Hitler’s words; “if an adult says 'I will not come over to your side' I will calmly answer 'your child belongs to us already.' What are you? You will pass on!” (Adolf Hitler, n.d.). This aligns with the belief of the Nazi party and their ruling over the youth of Germany. It is a relevant primary source that corroborates Hitler’s view with Goebbels, making it quantifiable. Goebbels took control over all forms of communication in Germany. Books, newspapers, magazines, public meetings, rallies, movies, and radio, art and music were all censored (Youth in Nazi Germany, 2015). Anything that rebelled against the Nazis and their ideals were eradicated from the public eye. Goebbels describes how the Nazis knew to tactically utilise propaganda; “By the skilful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise,” (Lynch, 2008). This statement by Goebbels gives an insight into the effects of propaganda on not only Germany’s youth but all who influenced them. Goebbels had a clear perception of how propaganda worked, as he was the director, therefore he is a reliable and quantifiable source. |
Source B illustrates how the Nazis constructed their propaganda to target the youth through posters. Posters were a common form of propaganda in the mid 1930’s as they allowed the party to reach the majority society. Source B features the words “The German student fights for the Führer and the people.” The central character is a young, swastika-waving German student. He carries the physical embodiment of the described ‘ideal Nazi’ for the Aryan race, by encompassing features such as; young, strong, blond and dedicated. He wears a military uniform and a proud stance and beaming facial expression. This suggests that he is honoured to be advocating Nazism (MiE-Editor, 2012). This poster represents bias viewpoints as it is from a Nazi’s perspective; illustrating their perception of an ‘ideal’ young boy. It is evident that this poster would encourage young males to strive towards this physical appearance. Hitler and Goebbels knew the tactics to gain the youth’s attention and devotion. They exploded this knowledge to control the way the youth thought and acted. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels both used propaganda as a tool to sway the naïve minds of the German youth towards Nazi ideology.
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