Mein Kampf's Ordinary Germans, Ordinary Nazis

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Ordinary Germans, Ordinary Nazis World War II was the stage of numerous horrific atrocities. But it was only after the war that the world witnessed the extent of the crimes committed by the Nazis. As evidence of the unthinkable genocide against the Jewish people was uncovered, people could only watch in horror. Nations everywhere gazed in shock at the ability of the Nazi Party to convince ordinary people to allow, and even take part in, such horrendous actions. They masterfully sculpted and re-sculpted an entire country of people. The Nazis used propaganda, fear, and the indoctrination of children to spread their twisted ideology and persuade normal people to act on those beliefs. The Nazis dedicated much of their resources to spreading propaganda, the power of language and images, by incorporating their mantras in every aspect of people’s lives. The Nazis created propaganda films depicting both their ideals and ideas about Jewish people. For example, the film The Eternal Jew portrayed the Jewish people as the rats of humankind. It and similar films planted ideas about the maliciousness of Jews and the strength of Aryans into moviegoers’ minds. By sneaking such ideological messages into a recreational activity such as going to the movies, people were unknowingly indoctrinated. In the same way that young children can be more easily fed vegetables when they are distracted by a blaring television, people are more receptive to different ideas when it is fed to them unexpectedly because they are not thinking as deeply about the information they are receiving. Nazi propaganda invaded every part of a citizen’s life, so that they had nowhere to hide. The Nazis also ensured their propaganda was simple yet widespread by using print materials. …show more content…
They produced hundreds of posters calling Germans to be proud of and protect their Aryan heritage from “dirty” Jews. The posters were extremely commonplace and could be seen anywhere on the streets. This ensured that, by sheer exposure to such material, more people believed their ideology. The Nazi-written books further exemplified this. One of the most infamous books to come out of Nazi Germany was Mein Kampf. It detailed all of Hitler’s ideas about race in Germany and was heavily promoted. After multiple readings, Hitler’s masterful writing made it easier to believe in its message. People are deeply influenced by the material they read, especially if all the people around them are reading, talking about, and believing the same book. The Nazis also repeatedly utilized derogative terms to portray the Jewish people and displayed them all as stereotypical and evil creatures. They blamed them for all of Germany’s woes, which created a very real hatred towards those people. By continuously portraying the Jewish as a sub-human race, rather than a religion, they could alienate an entire group of people. A final propaganda method the Nazis used was childhood indoctrination. In children, the Nazis found the perfect blank canvas to paint their extreme ideologies. The textbooks used in schools were revised to reflect Nazi view and racial science was taught in schools. By the time children were around nine or ten, they wholeheartedly accepted these ideas. Children are very susceptible to being misled, especially by people they hold in high esteem. To young students, their school teachers are the epitomes of wisdom who are never incorrect. By having one of their most trusted adults tell them this false information, a generation of German youth grew up to unquestioningly believe this pseudoscience. After all, they had never experienced a pre-Nazi era before these ideas became widely circulated. An even more detrimental propaganda program directed towards children was introduced to them at the tender age of ten. The Hitler Youth program was mandatory and designed specifically as a vehicle to brainwash children. Prior to joining, all were required to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler. This created an atmosphere filled with the most vocal Nazis to help develop a blind and absolute faith to the Nazi Party. Furthermore, Hitler Youth groups attended many exciting events that made children enjoy being part of such an organization. One was the Nuremburg Rallies hosted once a year. The lavish displays of celebration and thousands of spectators made the youths feel proud of

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