Need Help. Looking for Books on Nazi Propaganda (Vanity)

1/6/06 | Tennessee Girl

[TennesseeGirl]

I'm trying to find books on how the Nazi's used movies and plays, newspapers and magazines, etc. to help turn German society against the Jews incrementally. I guess any title on the mechanics of the propaganda machine that managed to persuade Germans that Jews needed to be exterminated. I am specifically interested in how the Third Reich used the media. Freepers, could any of you suggest authors or titles?

[gdzla]

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/
This is a good place to start. Gives a pretty good idea of how things were presented to the German population during the thirties.

[mainepatsfan]

A biography on Goebbels might be a good place to start.

[PeterFinn]

Hmmm. The Nazis didn't invent anti-Semitism, they only exploited the existing anti-Semitism that was quite common at the time throughout Western culture. Hating Jews was not something peculiar to Nazi Germany - slaughtering them en masse was. Many books written today will give you the impression that the Nazis invented anti-Semitism when that is wholly untrue. Instead of studying the propaganda of the Nazis, where any modern resource will be so heavily biased against them as to cloud the subject you wish to study, I'd suggest studying the broader topic of 1930's and 1940's propaganda in general. You'll find much of the style of Leni Riefenstahl was adopted by Orson Welles (he was a big fan of hers) and much of what the Nazis did in terms of whipping up the public was also done by everyone else in WW2. The contrasts of the various styles of propaganda in that period will accent both the similarities of what the Nazis produced with the differences between them and everyone else. Disclaimer: I am not protecting Nazis or any other such thing - just trying to help our friend here approach the topic academically.

[Stoat]

I haven't read this book, but it looks intriguing and may answer some of your questions.....you may wish to read the customer reviews of it to see if it is the sort of thing that you're looking for.  It can be had as a used copy for quite a bargain, so it may be worth a try.

Amazon.com Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics Books Frederic Spotts

[Rocko]

Excellent book.

[Stoat]

Excellent book.

That's good to hear!  Do you think that it might answer Tennessee Girl's questions?

[PzLdr]

To understand Nazi Propaganda, you have to start with Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Try "Goebbels",by Ralf Georg Reuth and "Goebbels: The Man Whio Created Hitler", by Viktor Reimann. You should also read "The Goebbels Diaries" [They come in various editions] and "Final Entries 1945: The Diaries of Joseph Goebbels",Hugh Trevor-Roper, ed. As for propaganda itself, try "Nazi Propaganda", David Welch, ed., and"The Propaganda of Adolf Hitler', Jonathan R. Manning, english ed. You should also read those portions of "Mein Kampf" which deal with Hitler's views on propaganda [the most readable portions of the book].Hope that helps. As an aside, Hitler was the NSDAP's first propaganda chief.

[Rocko]

Yes; it would be one good source among many.

[jw777]

Try the DNC or MoveOn.org websites.

[Gay State Conservative]

i believe that the film maker Lenni Riefenstahl played a key role in Hitler's propaganda machine.You might check her out.

[PROSOUTH]

I watched part of a show today on The History Channel I believe called "Hitler and the Occult" very interesting show and covered what you are looking for.

[SunkenCiv]

Any book on the SS, SD, or Waffen SS might be somewhat useful, as there are usually reproductions of posters, still photos of kristallnacht, etc.

Also snippets of original Third Reich propaganda films occur in documentaries like "The Sorrow and the Pity".

To find some deeper roots you could look at the French "Dreyfuss Affair" (related to "Sorrow...") and the mid-19th century German "kulturkampf" (mostly anti-Catholic I think), as well as the expulsion of Jews from Spain in the 15th century, and the expulsion of Jews from France (which was a little earlier yet I think).

The destruction of synagogues and burning of Torahs that went on during various times of natural disaster and the Black Plague outbreaks are also of interest.

Have fun.

[SunkenCiv]

What GSC said is a good idea, although Leni R (who died not long ago at 99 or 101 or something, due to injuries from an accident, she was trying bungie jumping or somethin') didn't make anti-Jewish propaganda films per se (that I know of). She made "Olympiad" regarding the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and "Triumph of the Will", which is generally regarded as the greatest propaganda film of all time, and she's often regarded as the greatest ever female filmmaker.

Jodi Foster was trying to interest studios in a story of Leni R, but that fell through.

[beyond the sea]

Need Help. Looking for Books on Nazi Propaganda

LOL. What are you doing ...................... research for a paper on today's old lamestream media?

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