1. How did the Nazi government control and influence people’s attitudes?
Starter: For each picture, identify their name and how they contributed to the Nazi police state.
Challenge (Thunk): If the Nazi party were a human body; which part would these men be?
In this lesson, we will:
Define what propaganda is
Explain how the Nazis used it to control people

2. What role did Joseph Goebbels play?
Joseph Goebbels was made the Minister of Propaganda in His job was to plan Nazi policies towards the media, sport, culture and the arts. Anything that they Nazis didn’t like had to be censored
To many, this made Goebbels the ringmaster of Nazi attitudes. His job was simply to brainwash the German people into believing Nazi ideas.
Goebbels did not just want people to believe the Nazis, he wanted ideology to be so deeply buried in propaganda that people did not know they were being manipulated.
To do this, Goebbels and his ministry would use newspapers, radio, rallies and sporting events.

3. The finest kind of propaganda does not reveal itself
The finest kind of propaganda does not reveal itself. The best propaganda is that which works invisibly, penetrating every cell of life in such a way that the public has no idea of the aims of the propagandist
- Joseph Goebbels, 1928

4. The purpose of propaganda is to convince the masses
The purpose of propaganda is to convince the masses. Their slowness of understanding needs time to absorb information. Only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on the mind.
Adolf Hitler, 1925

5. All radios were under Nazi control and used to broadcast ideas.
Cheap radios were sold to the public and placed in cafes, factories and schools Speakers were even placed in streets. By 1939, 70% of German homes had a radio.
No radios could pick up foreign stations.
Journalists were told what they could not publish.
Journalists were given briefings regularly with information that they had to publish.
Any newspapers that disobeyed were closed down (1,600 in 1935). Every newspaper was a Nazi newspaper.
Hitler made rallies and parades bigger and more often.
Every year they held a rally at Nuremberg to show strength.
In 1934, the stadium had a giant eagle with 100-foot wings and thousands of banners. It was surrounded by 130 anti-aircraft searchlights creating pillars of light.

6. The Chamber of Culture was set up to control art
The Chamber of Culture was set up to control art. All painters in Germany had to register with them. Any artist who refused was banned from painting.
Over 12,000 paintings and sculptures were removed from galleries for being too vulgar or modern. (Picasso, Cezanne, Van Gough etc.)
Sporting events were high jacked for propaganda – sports stadiums were decorated with swastikas. Football teams had to do Nazi salute when visiting Germany..
1936 Olympic games was used to show the world Germany had recovered. They built a new stadium for 110,000 people (largest in the world)
Germany won 33 medals (more than any other countries)
The games were filmed and used as propaganda movies of German strength.
Some music was banned e.g. jazz for being linked to black people. Any singers who were Jewish were outlawed.
Some music was promoted e.g. Wagner, Beethoven, Bach (traditional classical music)

7. All movies shown in cinema were preceded by a 45 minutes newsreel showing Germany’s achievements.
All film makers had to send plots to Goebbels for approval.
Goebbels made 1,300 films which had political messages (e.g. anti Jew, anti-Communist etc.)
Cartoon characters were designed and aimed at children. Hansi the Canari was based on Hitler and his enemy was a black crow which was based on Jews.
No new books were published without approval.
Any books which the Nazis didn’t agree with were banned.
Millions of books were taken from libraries and universities and burned in public bonfires.
In May ,000 books written by Jews, communists and anti-Nazi authors were destroyed (e.g. Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein etc.)

13. The Poison Mushroom, 1938
A mother and her young boy are gathering mushrooms in the German forest. The boy finds some poisonous
ones. The mother explains that there are good mushrooms and poisonous ones, and, as they go home, says:
Look, Franz, human beings in this world are like the mushrooms in the forest. There are good mushrooms and
there are good people. There are poisonous, bad mushrooms and there are bad people. And we have to be on our
guard against bad people just as we have against poisonous mushrooms. Do you understand that?
Yes, mother, Franz replies. I understand that in dealing with bad people trouble may arise, just as when one eats
a poisonous mushroom. One may even die!
And do you know, too, who these bad men are, these poisonous mushrooms of mankind? the mother continued.
Franz slaps his chest in pride: Of course I know, mother! They are the Jews! Our teacher has often told us about
them

14. Learning Tasks Task One
For each of the following, write two ways it was used by Goebbels to control the people of Germany.
Radio
Cinema
Newspapers
Rallies
Sporting Events
Stretch Task for deeper understanding
For each political cartoon:
What is the cartoonist trying to say about Joseph Goebbels?
Use examples from today’s lesson to support what the cartoonist is saying.

15. Source B: Cartoon from British satirical magazine “Punch”
Source B: Cartoon from British satirical magazine “Punch”. It shows Joseph Goebbels and a woman representing Germany. The caption reads: Dr Goebbels: “This may not be the truth, but it’s what you’re going to get.”
Source A: Cartoon drawn in 1935, it shows Joseph Goebbels with his hands over a singer. The caption of this cartoon was “The arts – silenced!”