role of nazi propaganda in the consolidation of power
To what extent did propaganda influence Nazi consolidation of power 1933-1939? Written by: bagpuss Although the relative importance of factors is in debate, it is certain that propaganda was one of the major causes of consolidation of power. ... ” However, the exact extent that propaganda affected the Nazi consolidation of power is extremely difficult to gauge, for a number of reasons. For instance, although the Nazi film ‘Triumph of the Will’ by Leni Riefenstahl may have been a success (and regarded as a brilliant achievement in today’s film industry), there is no evidence to suggest that the film depicting Nazi strength affected a great deal of people. ... In addition, market research was non-existent, and there were very few non-Gestapo polls to analyse the success of this enormous propaganda campaign, which was conducted primarily by one man. Joseph Goebbels, master propagandist of the Nazi regime was seen as man who represented the propaganda campaign. ... In doing so, Goebbels, although he spoke of his contempt of it at the 1934 Party Congress, used the technique of ‘total propaganda’, through which the government controls not only the media, but also culture. ... As Goebbels was largely responsible for bringing Hitler to the centre of the political stage, he was rewarded on 13 March 1933, with the position of Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, which gave him total control of the communications media – which was the radio, press, publishing, cinema and the other arts. ... Once the takeover was complete, the propaganda ministry was split up into seven different departments – administration and organization, propaganda, radio, press, films, theatre, and adult education. ... Certainly, due to the eradication of anti-Nazi publications and media in general, the public must have felt that the general mood of all the media was pro-Nazi. Therefore by disagreeing they would step out of the public mood, and the terror of not conforming due to the total propaganda they were subjected to contributed greatly to the consolidation of power in Nazi Germany. ... Undoubtedly, Nazi propaganda films were increasingly popular and thus influential - in 1933, the number of moviegoers was 250 million; in 1942 it was 1,000 million . ... The typical types of film that Goebbels considered appropriate vehicles for propaganda were the costume dramas that centred on the great Prussian leaders and other influential figures . There were also of course straightforward war films that contained relatively straight pro-German and pro-nationalistic messages, and other films that performed a slightly different propaganda function, such as 1936 Olympia or von Bakys 1943 film Münchhausen. ... The great achievements in film during this period conveyed to the public the sense that the Nazi regime was a regime of modern progress internationally, breaking new barriers in technology, furthering convincing the public that remaining with the party would be the only solution in order to progress. Probably Goebbels’ greatest propaganda asset was the ‘Volksempfänger’ – the peoples receiver. ... 31, selling at 76 Marks was available after the Nazi takeover. ... While the cinema was experienced with others, radio had the ability for the Nazi party to talk to people in their own homes, but they could also share it with the public due to the radio speakers in the street. The invasive nature of propaganda is made clear because political broadcasts were often made during working hours, and workers often had their work suspended in order to listen to Hitler .