Did it work?
Gauging the real effectiveness of propaganda is complicated. For one thing, there are not a lot of records that accurately and reliably measure German public opinion at the time. Furthermore, the effectiveness of propaganda is not a direct correlate of its quantity—no matter how earnestly Goebbels and the Nazi leadership desired this to be true. Even so, by utilizing the various records available to historians, scholars have been able to provide some insight on the matter.
During the first half of the Nazi regime (pre-war) propaganda was much more effective than in the period after the war started. This was largely because in the pre-war period the propaganda was identifying and simply amplifying already existing values. The notions of following strong, charismatic leadership, expressing dissent towards foreigners and enemies, and developing a unified German community were all ideas that built upon German values that predated the First World War. Given the unforgiving state of the economy, putting one’s faith in Nazism, was therefore a small and rather tempting step to take.
But once the war heated up, things changed. Now the propaganda began to propagate much more specific and potentially troubling messages. For example, when it came to racial purity, whereas discrimination was widely held to be acceptable, maltreatment—let alone extermination and terrorism—of Jews, was an entirely different concept that many could not condone. Even when it came to one’s faith in Hitler, without question the strongest tenet of Nazi propaganda, as the war increasingly favored the West the forest fire of support that Hitler commanded in the early 30s was beginning to cool down.[1]
The important point to remember here, however, is that it was the message, not the tool used to deliver it, that lost potency as the war came to a close. Indeed, the radio was never questioned in its important ability to disseminate massive amounts of information to massive amounts of people in real time. Nowhere is this clearer than what was (ironically) the most listened to Nazi broadcast: the announcement on April 30th, 1945 that Hitler, the nation’s beloved Führer, had fallen, provided below. Indeed, even in death, the radio was still the primary means for the Nazis reach the ears and minds of the German people.
During the first half of the Nazi regime (pre-war) propaganda was much more effective than in the period after the war started. This was largely because in the pre-war period the propaganda was identifying and simply amplifying already existing values. The notions of following strong, charismatic leadership, expressing dissent towards foreigners and enemies, and developing a unified German community were all ideas that built upon German values that predated the First World War. Given the unforgiving state of the economy, putting one’s faith in Nazism, was therefore a small and rather tempting step to take.
But once the war heated up, things changed. Now the propaganda began to propagate much more specific and potentially troubling messages. For example, when it came to racial purity, whereas discrimination was widely held to be acceptable, maltreatment—let alone extermination and terrorism—of Jews, was an entirely different concept that many could not condone. Even when it came to one’s faith in Hitler, without question the strongest tenet of Nazi propaganda, as the war increasingly favored the West the forest fire of support that Hitler commanded in the early 30s was beginning to cool down.[1]
The important point to remember here, however, is that it was the message, not the tool used to deliver it, that lost potency as the war came to a close. Indeed, the radio was never questioned in its important ability to disseminate massive amounts of information to massive amounts of people in real time. Nowhere is this clearer than what was (ironically) the most listened to Nazi broadcast: the announcement on April 30th, 1945 that Hitler, the nation’s beloved Führer, had fallen, provided below. Indeed, even in death, the radio was still the primary means for the Nazis reach the ears and minds of the German people.
Der führer ist gefallen
play below
Sources
[1] Welch, Nazi Propaganda: The Power and the Limitations., 200–203.
Photo and Audio Credits
[1]: German Propaganda Archive: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/
[2]: German Propaganda Archive: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/
[3]: Image provided to Wikimedia by Stars and Stripes, the Official US Army magazine: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Stars_%26_Stripes_%26_Hitler_Dead2.jpg
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6GgXa23yLo. Audio for vi
[1] Welch, Nazi Propaganda: The Power and the Limitations., 200–203.
Photo and Audio Credits
[1]: German Propaganda Archive: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/
[2]: German Propaganda Archive: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/
[3]: Image provided to Wikimedia by Stars and Stripes, the Official US Army magazine: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Stars_%26_Stripes_%26_Hitler_Dead2.jpg
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6GgXa23yLo. Audio for vi