Thursday, July 15, 2010

What were five ways that propaganda helped strengthen Hitler's power?

Hitler convinced the German people that their army was victorious during WWI and that it had been "stabbed in the back" by Communist and Jewish influences in the government.  Through newspapers such as der Sturmer, his regime portrayed the Jews as horrible people who poisoned the German way of life and should be destroyed.  Hitler blamed the destruction of the Reichstag on Jews in the government who wanted to create a Communist takeover.  


Another way Hitler used propaganda was to make use of his military.  He always appeared in military uniforms when addressing the people, thus using his WWI veteran status to his benefit.  Hitler promoted the virile, active appearance of the Aryan ideal, though he did not look like the blonde-haired, blue-eyed youth that he wanted, so he had to look strong at all times.  This was especially hard as his health deteriorated as the war took a turn for the worse.  


Hitler's army used propaganda on the battlefield as well.  The German Stuka bomber had sirens attached to it so that it could terrorize refugee groups and scare anyone it did not strafe.  The German army was especially fierce in the Soviet Union, killing many civilians there.  All of this was so that Hitler could achieve his ideal of the German people gaining land they felt was rightfully theirs.  


Hitler was a grand showman in terms of events and buildings.  Hitler's Berlin, which was to be completed after the war, was to be the capital of all of Europe.  It's buildings were to be made of marble, and each public building would be a monument to Hitler and Nazism in general.  Hitler started to showcase his rebuilding effort with the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which was to be a showcase of German strength.  Hitler's army was on parade for the people to see as well--most people did not realize that Germany was losing the war until late in 1944 when Allied bombers started hitting German cities on a regular basis.  


Lastly, Hitler's speeches were the ultimate in propaganda.  The forcefulness of his words and his manner of speaking gave the German people confidence.  Hitler made use of passenger flights in order to inspire Germans during his rise to power--this was unique, as passenger flight was not yet mainstream in the early-mid 1930s.  Hitler intimidated and killed the opposition; he always claimed nearly one hundred percent of the vote.  Hitler said that he was the only one who could make Germany great again.  

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