The Nazis take over the radio
Shortly after ascending to power in the early part of 1933, Hitler appointed Dr. Joseph Goebbels as “Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda.” Serving in this important post put Goebbels in charge of censoring the newspapers, film, poster advertisements, and city decor. Goebbels took the job incredibly seriously--perhaps more so than Hitler himself. As he saw things, with the Nazi state still in its early stages of development, propaganda was more important than ever. Indeed, in the words of David Welch: “propaganda was to be the means of coordinating the political will of the nation with the aims of the state...it was to be an active force, cementing the nation together with the people.”[1]
For Goebbels, however, print and posters were not enough to carry out this goal properly. Indeed, he believed that the Third Reich needed something far more pervasive: the radio. Insisting that the radio was the “most modern and most important instrument of mass influence” and that it would one day “replace newspapers,” Goebbels pushed for the administration gain complete control over the broadcast industry.[2] Though it took some delicate political maneuvering, eventually in late 1933 Goebbels got his wish, as the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft (Reich Radio Company, or RRG) was granted control over all radio broadcasts in Germany, and the era of Nazi radio propaganda was ushered in.
For Goebbels, however, print and posters were not enough to carry out this goal properly. Indeed, he believed that the Third Reich needed something far more pervasive: the radio. Insisting that the radio was the “most modern and most important instrument of mass influence” and that it would one day “replace newspapers,” Goebbels pushed for the administration gain complete control over the broadcast industry.[2] Though it took some delicate political maneuvering, eventually in late 1933 Goebbels got his wish, as the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft (Reich Radio Company, or RRG) was granted control over all radio broadcasts in Germany, and the era of Nazi radio propaganda was ushered in.
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[1] David Welch, The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda, 19,20.
[2] Ibid., 30.
Photo Credit: All three images were provided to Wikimedia by the German Federal Archives; see:
(1): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1987-0703-506%2C_Adolf_Hitler_vor_Rundfunk-Mikrofon.jpg
(2): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1987-0703-506,_Adolf_Hitler_vor_Rundfunk-Mikrofon.jpg
(3): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1989-0821-502%2C_Joseph_Goebbels.jpg
[2] Ibid., 30.
Photo Credit: All three images were provided to Wikimedia by the German Federal Archives; see:
(1): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1987-0703-506%2C_Adolf_Hitler_vor_Rundfunk-Mikrofon.jpg
(2): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1987-0703-506,_Adolf_Hitler_vor_Rundfunk-Mikrofon.jpg
(3): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1989-0821-502%2C_Joseph_Goebbels.jpg