Nazi power
overtook Northeim because "hatred for the SPD" drove townspeople
"into the arms of the Nazis," the Great Depression, and the
great need for politicization (141). Propaganda was a huge factor in
generating support for the Nazis. "Constant elections meant constant
campaigning and each campaign spurred bitterness and radicalism" (141).
Pamphlets, leaflets confetti-ed the town. Every week, a newspaper titled
"Hort! Hort!" published direct attacks on the Socialists and
highlighted other problems. "More important than the actual misery
caused by the depression was the constant flow of news items stressing
that misery (139). It was as if under the right circumstances, the Nazis
were making sad people even sadder, until the Northeim citizens swelled
with nationalism and cried for change. By then, the Nazis already knew how
to address what the people needed. The Nazis understood how to exploit the
deepening depression by concentrating on local middle class people and
their problems.
Propaganda had a
huge effect on the people of Northeim. Hitler and the Nazis knew how
persuasive it could really be and utilized the tool to their advantage.
Propaganda was so strong that it had the power to change not only people's
ideas, but their behaviors as well. People think they are choosing the
Nazi party by their own accord, when in fact the Hitler government very
well brainwashed the German people into thinking he and his methods were
the best ones. Political propaganda is strategic and tactical, unlike
basic advertisement that is solely meant for economic purposes.
Today after class, while
Jeremy was providing the reasons as to how the Nazis seized power, we
described the social, political, and economic climate, but not the tactics
the Nazis used to create a collective identity in Germany. Depression in
an oppressive environment breeds hate, and the people of Northeim
undoubtedly harbored extremely negative feelings towards the political
parties the Nazis wanted them to feel badly towards.
I agree with the thought of the Nazi's propaganda was one of the major reasons for their success.They knew how to address the people. Like you said "The Nazis understood how to exploit the deepening depression by concentrating on local middle class people and their problems." They knew how to work the middle class and even worse the depression in general.
ReplyDeletePropaganda is a major way of brain- washing a group of people to believe in the ideals that the party or group believe in. The Nazis did a great job with this especially to people in Northeim. THey made the people of the town hate other parities, they made them feel that the Nazis were there to help them and get them out of the tough economic struggle they were going through. The Nazi's succeeded in their quest for ultimate power.
Propaganda was absolutely important. The quote about constant campaigning is vital to understanding how the Nazis came to power. In a political campaign, brief slogans and powerful images are the best tools to have. By having five elections just in 1932, for instance, the local Nazis Allen writes of were able to stay on that campaign-high and keep the euphoric momentum running. This allowed them to focus on producing brief, powerful images for the consumption of the town public without having to debate the finer points of any policy at all. Speed and expediency allowed the local Nazis to ramp up the local party machine and run on a platform only of bullet points.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about propaganda, however disagree with the generalization that these people are necessarily brainwashed. If you are making that argument, then I believe that you have to say anybody who votes is brainwashed to believe in the candidate they are voting for. The goal behind a political campaign is to convince, not brainwash, and to win at all costs. That means sometimes telling lies. People can be ignorant to the truth, but to say brainwashed gives the political machine too much credit. They were not forced into voting for the Nazis, Hitler successfully came to the top through the Democratic Process. That is just politics.
ReplyDeleteThe people knew what they were getting themselves into, and if they would have looked harder (and educated themselves) they could have seen what was coming. The problem was they didn't disagree with the evil; it became a part of them.