Propaganda by Radio in the Third Reich

On the brink of the war, Germany needed hit the ground running or risk being defeated by the opponent. After Hitler became Head Chancellor of Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels was promoted to Reich Minister of Propaganda. Goebbels was greatly respected by his Germans and government officials after his service in the German military. It was observed as, “He (Goebbels) came as a fighter who had proved himself against the French, separatists and Communists in three years in the Rhine and Ruhr areas. He came without support; he had to build his own support.” Goebbels was viewed as a brilliant war hero who had all the answers to make Germany the most powerful country in the world. His popularity and image made him a suitable candidate to run the Ministry of Propaganda. In addition, Goebbels’ actions perfectly reflected the attitudes preached by Nazi Germany. The Third Reich was gaining momentum and it was all due to the active spread of Nazi propaganda. Nazi Germany was willing to go to any length to not only unite the German people to support the war, but also to use propaganda against the enemy directly. Newspapers, posters, rallies, and education of youth were a few ways Goebbels and the German Ministry of Propaganda spread their thoughts; however, nothing was as effective and important to the propagandist movement as radio. Radio was a revolutionary propaganda tool, to say the least, because it turned out to be the fastest, easiest, and most manipulative form of communication to shape the attitudes of the German people. The Third Reich did not intend to simply spread their propagandist thoughts to manipulate the German people. The bigger goal was to use radio as a psychological and strategic weapon of war, exponentially increasing the...

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