The term “mass media” refers to national or international channels of news and information outlets such as television, newspapers, radio and books. Propaganda is information of a biased or misleading nature that is used to promote a political cause or point of view (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.). This essay explains the usage of mass media and propaganda by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Germany was ruled by a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, under Hitler's instruction, Germany was transformed into a totalitarian state in which the Nazi Party controlled nearly all aspects of life. Nazi propaganda had a supreme director, Joseph Goebbels, and a supreme star, Adolf Hitler himself (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). Propaganda
…show more content…
In Nazi Germany discussions of race made constant reference to the criterion of “scientific standards” (Hutton, 2010). Hitler argued that the German race was superior to all others. He was obsessed with racial purity and used the word “Aryan” to describe his idea of a pure German race (“How did the Nazis construct an Aryan identity”, 2014). The Nazis targeted children and would publish school books depicting the so called “Aryan race”. This example of propaganda became known as “ideological education” and it began a reform in the German school system, which was then strengthened by the activities of its youth groups. The ideas of race, community, and leadership were directly applied to principles of education. It was not directed at the benefit of the individual, but towards the creation of an entire generation of German youth who believed in the Nazi ideology (Pine, 1996). The focal point of educational activity during the Third Reich was that young Aryan children had to be made aware of the differences between people who fitted into the “National community” and those who didn’t (ibid). The ambition underlying Nazi propaganda is fundamentally one of utopia, the creation of a paradisal state on earth. They created the image of Germany having inferior people with their obsession with hygiene and …show more content…
Nazi cinema provides a uniquely revealing case study of the calculated use of art and culture as an instrument of seduction aimed at all of those who had yet to be won over (Vaget, 2015). The film was an essential part of the Nazi enterprise, its colonization of the entertainment medium. It was here that Goebbels himself held most sway. Goebbels recognized that the propaganda message must be clothed in the pageantry of costume drama and romance and action epic (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). In 1936, Goebbels outlawed film criticism, and replaced it with “film observation” in which the journalist could only describe the films, not critique them, also the Nazis banned foreign films, and by 1937 had nationalized the film industry entirely. Nazi film industry had two goals: first, to provide the German public with entertainment that was supportive of the Nazi views; and second, to produce propaganda movies to create public support for their agenda (Jason, 2013). The Nazi film “Triumph of the Will” was commissioned by Hitler and may be delivered as a self-portrait of the Nazi movement. Leni Riefenstahl's film allows us to see the face of the nation that the rulers of Germany wanted to show to the world. It is widely regarded as the most iconic document of Nazi cinema and has shaped the future's
In Nazi Germany discussions of race made constant reference to the criterion of “scientific standards” (Hutton, 2010). Hitler argued that the German race was superior to all others. He was obsessed with racial purity and used the word “Aryan” to describe his idea of a pure German race (“How did the Nazis construct an Aryan identity”, 2014). The Nazis targeted children and would publish school books depicting the so called “Aryan race”. This example of propaganda became known as “ideological education” and it began a reform in the German school system, which was then strengthened by the activities of its youth groups. The ideas of race, community, and leadership were directly applied to principles of education. It was not directed at the benefit of the individual, but towards the creation of an entire generation of German youth who believed in the Nazi ideology (Pine, 1996). The focal point of educational activity during the Third Reich was that young Aryan children had to be made aware of the differences between people who fitted into the “National community” and those who didn’t (ibid). The ambition underlying Nazi propaganda is fundamentally one of utopia, the creation of a paradisal state on earth. They created the image of Germany having inferior people with their obsession with hygiene and …show more content…
Nazi cinema provides a uniquely revealing case study of the calculated use of art and culture as an instrument of seduction aimed at all of those who had yet to be won over (Vaget, 2015). The film was an essential part of the Nazi enterprise, its colonization of the entertainment medium. It was here that Goebbels himself held most sway. Goebbels recognized that the propaganda message must be clothed in the pageantry of costume drama and romance and action epic (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). In 1936, Goebbels outlawed film criticism, and replaced it with “film observation” in which the journalist could only describe the films, not critique them, also the Nazis banned foreign films, and by 1937 had nationalized the film industry entirely. Nazi film industry had two goals: first, to provide the German public with entertainment that was supportive of the Nazi views; and second, to produce propaganda movies to create public support for their agenda (Jason, 2013). The Nazi film “Triumph of the Will” was commissioned by Hitler and may be delivered as a self-portrait of the Nazi movement. Leni Riefenstahl's film allows us to see the face of the nation that the rulers of Germany wanted to show to the world. It is widely regarded as the most iconic document of Nazi cinema and has shaped the future's