Propaganda: Hitler's Path to Power

By looking at In the Garden of Beasts we can see that Hitler and the Nazi Regime successfully used propaganda and deception to gain power in Germany. This is important because propaganda is widely used to manipulate others into supporting one’s ideas while deceiving them from the truth.

Before World War II Hitler successfully implemented tactics through propaganda to secure his position as the next German Chancellor. Without using propaganda to increase his popularity Hitler would not have been able to gain the support he needed to gain control of Germany. He manipulated the German people by stating that Germany needs to become united to preserve their freedoms and to keep peace throughout the country. When Hitler was campaigning as a candidate for Chancellor he stated in one of his speeches, “Show tomorrow your firm national unity… Support with me and the Reich Chancellor the principle of equal rights and of peace with honor” (Larson, p. 175). By using a manipulative style of speaking to the public Hitler was able to present himself as one for the people, showing that he prioritized them above everything else. However, this was all a trick to increase Hitler’s popularity so he could eventually become dominant over all aspects of German life. The Nazi Regime achieved this through strategic implementations of propaganda. This desensitized the public into believing Hitler could help Germany in its time of economic and political struggle. A few people were surprised by the amount of propaganda used by the Nazis. One person was a Jewish philologist in Dresden, he noted that, “On every commercial vehicle, post office van, mailman’s bicycle, on every house and shop window, on broad banners, quotations form Hitler are everywhere and al...

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...uccessful era of propaganda where it was not only used by Nazi Germany but others as well. Hitler rose to power, gained German support, and deceived others through both propaganda and striking fear into the hearts of various groups of people. Remembering this era of lies and manipulation will help us prepare for any future threats that may spawn from propaganda. By doing this we will be better able to differentiate between false propaganda and the truth.

Works Cited

Britannica, E. (2014). Gestapo. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232117/Gestapo

Larson, E. (2011). In The Garden of Beasts. New York: Broadway Books.

Rudiger, C. (2003, September 2). World War II and Propaganda. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from Stanford : http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297a/World%20War%20II%20and%20Propaganda.htm