Propaganda

I found the propaganda used by the German government to influence the German people, particularly the difference between use by the Weimar Republic and the National Socialist Party, to be compelling. The people in charge of Weimar Republic seemed to be trying their best to support the German people despite the terrible situation they were all in. The National Socialist Party was very radical and aggressive. Looking back at them now, we would obviously support the republic over the Nazi party. At the time however, the German people hated the political system of the Weimar Republic and supported the National Socialist Party. A major tool in directing the populace’s opinions was propaganda.

                There are few examples I can find of propaganda used in support of the Weimar Republic. It was criticized by the press and intellectuals. Even the civil servants disliked it because the majority of them were monarchists. Almost no one was willing to speak a positive opinion of the republic, so it is no wonder it was so hated by the people (222).

This is a poster encouraging people to vote for Hindenburg. It is very plain and rather simple with only a picture of the man, the main massage, and a few lines of text. By advertising standards today, it wouldn’t be considered eye catching or memorable.

In contrast to the Hindenburg poster, this picture supports Hitler. Instead of showing Hitler, a large number of downtrodden people are shown. It reads “Our last hope: Hitler.” Instead of giving logical reasons why the people should vote for Hitler, it appeals to their emotions. A lot of people were having a hard time and probably felt like how the people in the picture look. They were sick of the politicians that campaigned with reason and seemed to be unable to improve the conditions that Germans were living in. They wanted hope, and that is exactly what this poster was targeting.

                Because people had such a bad view of the republic and many wanted to go back to the times of the monarchy, to support such a strong figure as Hitler appealed to many people. But it wasn’t just this that helped him gain power. He fed off of the worries and problems of the people and rallied them up with emotional speeches. He convinced people to support him by appealing to their emotions. Once he was in control, propaganda was used to support the parties ideas.

This illustration appeared in a German magazine. It shows representations of the Soviet Union, USA, and Great Britain coming out of the mouth of a Jewish man. It seems to be suggesting that Jews are the origin of all these countries, which were hostile toward Germany. This was probably used by the Nazis to support their use of Jews are as a scapegoat and justify the hostile actions being used against them.

It is not so hard to see how Hitler and the National Socialist Party came to power when you consider the views of the German people at the time. The Weimar Republic had a terrible image and little support from the citizens. Hitler was able to appeal to people’s emotions and used propaganda effectively to increase his influence. I think it shows that we need to think critically about what we see and hear, and not just jump for the solution wrapped in the prettiest package.

Third picture from here: [Link]