DEFINITION

Propaganda is the art of persuasion to make people believe the your "side of the story" is correct. Persuading people that your military is too great to be challenged, that your political power within the nation is too great to be challenged.
Dr. Joseph Goebbels was appointed as the Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment and in charge of propaganda.

HOW DID IT HELP HITLER RISE TO POWER?
  • Goebbels organized the first of the infamous book burning episodes. Books that did not match the Nazi ideal was burnt in public - loyal Nazis ransacked libraries to remove the 'offending' books. "Where one burns books, one eventually burns people" commented the author Brecht.
  • The Nazis controlled film productions as well concentrating on certain issues: the Jews; the greatness of Hitler; the way of life for a true Nazi.
  • Goebbels organized sale of cheap radios called "People's Receiver" so to ensure that everybody could hear Hitler speak.
  • Goebbels set up the Reich Chamber of Commerce in 1933. This organization dealt with literature, art, music, radio, film, newspapers etc. To produce anything that was in these groups, you had to be a member of the Reich Chamber.