Hitler's propaganda machine

by Ward Rutherford

Paul Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment, refined the use of what he called the Big Lie to a fine, art. Democracy was portrayed as evil, dictatorship as good. Books which did not conform with Nazi ideology were burned; radio broadcasts were made with the intention of cowing the German populace and frightening the peoples of the world. Mass rallies were staged in Berlin, Nuremberg and elsewhere to whip up enthusiasm for the military expansion of Germany and hysteria for the Third Reich and its Führer. Magazines and newspapers played their role in a more subtle way, emphasizing Nazi triumphs and minimizing or obliterating criticism of the regime and its failures. Colorful posters were put up throughout Germany. Later the Nazis enlisted the support of other Europeans in the pan-German cause. All of these propaganda techniques were master-minded by Goebbels, whose genius in orchestrating propaganda in the mass media was acknowledged even by his enemies. In films, magazines , posters, rallies and speeches by Hitler and his followers, Goebbels developed a propaganda mechanism that has been copied. by dozens of dictators since but never equaled in its cynicism and, fury. Hitler's. Propaganda Machine is portrayed vividly and dramatically through the use of hundreds of photographs and posters as well as original magazines and newspapers of the Nazi era. It is a unique collection which brilliantly illustrates the fascination and horror of the Nazi years.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Astor Teller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book mostly for the vast amount of photographies and also re-introducing (not intended by the author as this book was published in 1978) aspects and characters that has been lost in time. The text itself made me lose focus, but the chapters are theme based so it was easy to get back on track after straying.

There were some tidbits that I didn’t know about, such as the German Propaganda Companies (companies made up of journalists and newsmen) that were used to convey coverage to the public and were initially more successful than the allies’ use of reporters and journalists. And also that Goebbels used the term iron curtain already in 1945 (a term which Churchill made famous).

[Neil Crowle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book went into the topic in detail and was obviously well researched, I noticed no citing of reference sources beyond the bibliography. The author lived in Europe during the war period and included reflections on personal experience. The work was not entirely objective history as there were some negative personal opinions and comments appearing in it from time to time.

[Jitesh Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was totally justified in saying “We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” This time propaganda machine is well oiled and technically more advanced, like the latest edition of a book and people are again falling prey to that. I think, there is something fundamentally wrong with us humans.