Hitler Germany 1934-1939: Propaganda: 3D Gallery

Triumphant Film

Source: 1935 film by Leni Riefenstahl meant to inspire the German population to side with the National Socialist Party using the display of power at the Nuremberg Rally as an incentive.
Description: This film was made at a special request from the National Socialist PArty’s leader, Adolf Hitler. It showcases Hitler’s influence at the Nuremberg Rally in 1934. This film holds significance because it is one of the most popular forms of propaganda in the film form, and it demonstrates the “triumph” or greatness of the Nazi Party using the Nuremberg Rally as an example. The film convinced hundreds of thousands of Germans to support this party and follow its power.

The People’s Receiver

Source: Radio in War, a Nazi propaganda film made by the Ministry og Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in 1944.

Description: The movie Radio in War is a propaganda Nazi film showing how the regime used radio broadcasting in a very systematic way to create a sense of unity and common purpose among Germans during WWII. The film shows the viewers through a radio station, showing the production of programs, including anti-Semitic news, music, and other content. This highlights how the radio was used as a “magical bond,” linking citizens and soldiers, underscoring the ideal “national community’ the Nazi party wanted to foster. This shows the significance of the Nazi’s devoted use of all media to spread propaganda and cultivate a collective national identity.

Dissimulating Support

Source: Ja! Führer, wir folgen Dir! ("Yes! Leader, We Follow You!"), a Nazi Party propaganda poster in 1934.

Description: In this 1934 propaganda poster, Adolf Hilter is standing before a crowd of devoted supporters. Dressed in his military uniform with his fist clenched, he evokes a sense of determination and devotion to Nazi Germany and its followers. The text, "Ja! Führer, wir folgen Dir!" ("Yes! Leader, We Follow You!"), further proves the unwavering public support and loyalty to Hitler. This poster exemplifies the Nazi’s devotion to using visuals to manipulate public opinion, fostering support at any cost. Here, imagery was crucial to fostering “Volksgemeinschaft” or national identity, aligning everyone with the same anti-sematic ideology.

Chained to the Rhythm

Source: Unser Lied ("Our Song"), a songbook published by the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls, circa 1934.

Description: Unser Lied is a collection of songs sung by youth groups such as the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls. These groups conveyed the Nazi message and established a spirit of camaraderie through these songs. This specific songbook includes songs like “The Rotten Bones Tremble,” which discusses the superiority of younger generations. This was done to recruit more productive support for Nazism. As a significant historical artifact, this showcases methods of brainwashing done on the youth to employ them as Nazis ensuring generational opinion in politics.

Welfare For All?

Source: National Socialist People's Welfare (NSV) Poster, 1934. The NSV was established in 1933 as a Nazi social welfare program to give help only to those who the regime deemed racially and politically acceptable.

Description: This propaganda poster advertises the NSV, the slogan reads, “National health, national community, child protection, protection of mothers, care for travelers, are the tasks of the NS-Welfare Service. Join now!” It is typical of how propaganda was used to encourage the citizenry to buy into the programs in order to ensure the racial purity of the Nazis. This is significant as the regime wanted to involve people so they could contribute to their ideologies, shutting down those not within the Aryan ideal.

Manipulating Young Minds

Source: Der Giftpilz ("The Poisonous Mushroom"), an into-Semetic children’s book published by Julius Streicher in 1938.

Description: Der Gifpilz used stories to brainwash kids to have the perception of Jews as “dangerous and deceptive.” For example, Jews are compared to poisonous mushrooms in the illustrations, instilling fear in the young audience. By being shared in schools and houses, it allowed the Nazis to indoctrinate children with hate. Propaganda like this targeted the youth, ensuring loyalty and participation in the party.

Indoctrination for All

Source: Völkischer Beobachter ("The People's Observer"), the official Nazi Party newspaper, first published in 1920 and widely circulated throughout the Third Reich (1933-1945).

Description: The Völkischer Beobachter was one of the most crucial propaganda tools of the Nazis, often spewing anti-Jewish words,and becoming an ideological center for the party. Originally from Munich, the Weekly became an official newspaper of the Nazi Party under Hitler in 1923. It covered all nazi propaganda from speeches, policies, and events. This newspaper played a key role in consolidating public opinion for the Nazis, normalizing anti-Semitism, and justifying discrimination. The creation of The Völkischer Beobachter was significant as headlines and biased reports cultivated loyalty to the Nazi regime in Germany.

“Subhuman” Species

Source: 1940 film directed by Fritz Hippler meant to paint a negative stereotype in the Aryan German population of the Jewish population.

The Aryan Olympia

Source: 1936 Berlin Olympics was documented by Leni Reifenstahl, a close advocate of Hitler’s National Party, to bring glory to the Aryan Olympic team which would further the influence of the Nazi Party.

Description: Leni Reifenstahl was a close friend of Hitler and attended the Olympics with him. With the world spotlight on Berlin, Reifenstahl took the opportunity to present the Aryan Germans as superior, filmed their victories, and created the Olympia documentary for that reason. This documentary showcased the supposed superiority of the Nazi Germans and increased support and the party’s presence on the world stage.

The Attacker!

Source: A page of Der Sturmer, an anti-semitic newspaper, illustrated by Julius Streicher in 1939. It displays a montage of Jewish people on fire. The audience of this newspaper was the European population and the purpose of the page was to spread the message of hate of Jews to those who read the newspaper. This page was used as a piece of evidence in the Nuremberg Trials.

Description: The page of the newspaper is a anti-semitic piece of content that was produced in order to diminish any support of the Jewish population and to grow the influence of the German National Party (Nazi Party). By creating an enemy like the Jews, the Nazi Party could easily blame any national problem on them because of their negative stereotype at the time and gain support for any action that they wanted to take. Soon, propaganda like this image gathered enough support for the party to create policies that would remove Jews from German settlements. This depicts the development of power of the Nazi Party around this time period.

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Hitler Germany 1934-1939: Propaganda