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Lesson 11
To deepen your understanding of the ideas in this lesson, read Chapter Five in Facing
History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior.
The Nazis in Power: Propaganda and Conformity
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WHY teach this material?
Rationale
In this lesson, students will analyze several examples of Nazi propaganda in order to identify the messages that permeated German society, and to consider the impact these messages might have had on the actions and attitudes of German children, women, and men.
The activity in this lesson is also intended to help students learn how to analyze propaganda through identifying the messenger, the message, and the audience of particular
images. As students practice interpreting images, they develop a useful skill not only for
understanding history, but also for understanding the images that surround them today.
Helping students recognize the power of propaganda and giving them the tools to decode
images are important steps in developing a fundamental skill for today’s citizens: media
literacy.
LEARNING GOALS
The purpose of this lesson is to help students:
• Reflect on these guiding questions:
• What is propaganda?
• How did the Nazis use propaganda? What messages were they trying to send?
• How do you think Nazi propaganda impacted the attitudes and actions of
Germans in the 1930s?
• What are examples of propaganda in society today? How do you think this propaganda impacts the attitudes and actions of people today?
• Practice these interdisciplinary skills:
• Analyzing images
• Analyzing language
• Deepen understanding of these key terms:
• Propaganda
• Conformity
• Media
• Message, messenger, audience
(See the main glossary in the unit’s “Introduction” for definitions of these key
terms.)
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WHAT is this lesson about?
Propaganda is defined as ideas that are spread (through various media) for the purpose of
influencing opinion. This term is often used to refer to material that is used for or against
Lesson 11 • 158
a specific political agenda. Hitler and the Nazis were known for their ability to create
extensive and varied forms of propaganda, with words and images carefully chosen and
deliberately used to give life to old antisemitic prejudices, elicit opportunistic tendencies,
quench dissent, and turn neighbor against neighbor. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote,
“[F]rom the child’s primer down to the last newspaper, every theater and every movie
house, every advertising pillar and every billboard must be pressed into the service subjected of this one great mission. . . .”1 By establishing the Ministry of Public
Enlightenment and Propaganda as one of his first acts as chancellor, Hitler demonstrated
his belief that controlling information was as important as controlling the military and
the economy. He appointed Josef Goebbels to direct this department. Goebbels’s strategy
as Propaganda Minister was guided by the maxim, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep
repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”2 He penetrated virtually every sector of German society, from film, radio, posters, and rallies to school textbooks with Nazi
propaganda about the dominance of the Aryan people and the threat posed by the Jews.
Hitler is known for saying, “What good fortune for governments that people do not
think,”3 and his policies were based on the premise that most individuals are conformists
who do not think for themselves. Hitler and Nazi officials believed it was possible to
manipulate public opinion by using propaganda techniques including euphemisms,
name-calling, fear, and “bandwagon” (you are either for us or against us). For example,
the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda changed the words used in the
army, replacing the word “work” with “service to Führer and folk” and “worker” with
“soldier of labor.” Writer Max von der Grün recalls the impact these euphemisms had on
him during his service in the German army:
It is easy to understand that if, for whatever reasons, these words are hammered into a
person’s brain every day, they soon become a part of his language, and he does not
necessarily stop and think about where they come from and why they were coined in
the first place.4
The scenario described by Max von der Grün exemplifies how the Nazis’ effective use of
propaganda shut down Germans’ capacity for thoughtful deliberation about the information around them. Demonstrating his commitment to shutting down critical thinking in
Germany, Hitler instructed Nazi Party officials to hold rallies in the evening, warning,
“Never try to convert a crowd to your point of view in the morning sun. Instead the dim
lights are useful—especially the evening when people are tired, their powers of resistance
are low, and their complete ‘emotional capitulation’ is easy to achieve.”5 Horst Krueger
admitted that many residents of his town of Eichkamp were skeptical of Hitler when he
first came to power. But he remembers how even those who were not able to attend rallies in the big cities were eventually caught up in the spirit they evoked, explaining, “the
citizens of Eichkamp were eager to give themselves over to intoxication and rapture. They
were weaponless.”6 The Nazis’ distribution of antisemitic films, newspaper cartoons, and
even children’s books roused centuries-old prejudices against Jews and presented new
ideas about the racial impurity of Jews. Therefore, when the Nazis began implementing
policies against Jews, from the Nuremberg laws which stripped them of citizenship rights
to isolating Jews into ghettos, many in the German public were already predisposed
against this group of people and thus unlikely to stand up for the rights of their former
neighbors.
Lesson 11 • 159
Many have remarked on the effectiveness of Hitler’s use of information to manipulate
public opinion. After his visit to Munich during the 1936 Olympic Games, David Lloyd
George, former Prime Minister of Britain, wrote:
Whatever one may think of his methods—and they are certainly not those of a parliamentary country—there can be no doubt that he has achieved a marvelous transformation in the spirit of the people, in their attitude towards each other, and in their
social and economic outlook . . . not a word of criticism or disapproval have I heard
of Hitler.7
Scholars, such as professor of philosophy George Sabine, describe Hitler as a leader who
“manipulates the people as an artist molds clay.”8 Ultimately, the effectiveness of Nazi
propaganda reveals as much about the content and strategies involved in producing this
information as it does about the audience that received it. When exploring this history
with students it is important to look at propaganda not only through the lens of its creators (the messengers), but also through the lens of its audience. Hitler and other Nazi
leaders could advance their racist agenda because most members of the German public
believed the lies they spread about Jews. From studying Nazi Germany we learn how
individuals, especially young people, are vulnerable to believing myths and lies when they
are not encouraged to critically analyze the world around them and make informed judgments based on evidence.
According to the Center for Media Literacy, “Media Literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms.”9 The Nazi education system discouraged media literacy. Students were not taught how to develop their own ideas about
the images and messages that permeated life during the Third Reich because the success
of Hitler’s dictatorship depended on the youth believing the lies disseminated by the Nazi
Party. And, for the most part, the Nazis succeeded in these efforts. Testimonies of
German youth reveal that they mostly accepted what they heard and saw as the truth,
without evaluating the accuracy of the statements or the harm these messages inflicted on
vulnerable groups, especially Jews.
The success of Nazi propaganda in influencing the minds and hearts of many Germans,
especially German youth, demonstrates the dangers that can befall a society whose citizens are not able to make informed judgments about the media around them. By helping
students develop the habit of asking questions such as, “What is the intended purpose of
the text? What message is being expressed? How do I know if this information is true?”
and the ability to answer these questions, we nurture their growth as responsible citizens
who are less likely to be manipulated by malicious propaganda. It is also critical for students to learn to evaluate the ethical dimensions of propaganda. Studying Nazi propaganda reveals that the effective use of information to persuade the public is not the same
as the responsible dissemination of ideas. Many forms of media (i.e., advertising, political
campaign speeches, public service announcements) are produced with the purpose of persuading public opinion, and might be classified as propaganda. Yet, should all propaganda—all information that uses emotion or misleading claims to persuade an audience—be considered unethical, even propaganda aimed at causes we support? What
criteria should we use to evaluate the ethical use of information? In the twenty-first century, when most of us have increasing access to a wide range of information, it is especially important for students to be equipped with the ability not only to comprehend
ideas, but to evaluate this information from a moral and intellectual perspective.
Lesson 11 • 160
Related readings in
Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior
“No Time to Think,” pp. 189–91
“Threats to Democracy,” pp. 160–61
“Propaganda,” pp. 218–21
“Propaganda and Sports,” pp. 221–23
“Art and Propaganda,” pp. 223–25
“Using Film as Propaganda,” pp. 225–27
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HOW can we help students engage with this material?
Duration: one class period
Materials
Handout 1: Nazi Propaganda—(Documents 1–3)
Handout 2: Nazi Propaganda—Image analysis worksheet
Handout 3: Nazi Propaganda—Sample analysis of Document 2
Opener
In this lesson, students will explore how the Nazis used images and language to influence
the attitudes and actions of the German people. One way to begin this lesson is to ask
students what they might do if they wanted to convince someone—friends, parents,
teachers, etc.—of an idea. What strategies might they use? What kinds of words would
they employ?
Another way to introduce this topic to students, while also reviewing content from the
previous lesson, is to ask students to look at the names the Nazis gave to the laws they
analyzed during Lesson 9.
For example, the “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service” sends a message of improvement; it does not suggest that the law mandates firing people, even if they
are doing good work, just because they belong to a particular group. Ask students to
imagine that the law was called the “Law for the Discrimination against Civil Service
Workers Who Happen To Be Jews, Communists or Other Individuals We Just Don’t
Like” or the “Law for Firing Competent Doctors, Teachers, Judges, and City Employees
Who Do Not Belong to the Nazi Party.” Ask students to consider the different message
these new names send and how individuals might have responded to the law differently
with these new titles.
Then, you can give students an opportunity to do this same exercise with a partner. Post
the names of the following laws on the board:
Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor
Reich Citizenship Laws
Law for the Protection of Hereditary Health
Law Against the Establishment of Parties
Law Concerning the Hitler Youth
Lesson 11 • 161
Ask pairs to select one of these laws and then answer the following questions:
• What messages does the name of this law send?
• If you were going to name the same law, what might you call it?
• What different message might that new name send?
Allow time for volunteers to share their responses. Then, ask students why they think the
Nazis selected these particular names for their laws. Often students understand that Nazis
selected names that they thought would gather the most support for their policies. So,
they wanted to highlight the ideas they thought would appeal to the German people
while hiding the parts that they thought might raise concerns.
Main Activities
During the main activity, students will analyze three examples of Nazi propaganda distributed during the 1930s. Before they begin this exercise, help students define the word
propaganda. Below are several definitions of propaganda you might share with students
to help them think about the different meanings of this word. You could ask students
which definition/s best describe the practice of naming laws in Nazi Germany.
Definitions of Propaganda
• The spreading of ideas for the purpose of helping or harming an institution, a cause, or a person10
• Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view11
• A manipulation designed to lead you to a simplistic conclusion rather
than a carefully considered one12
• The deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate
cognitions [thoughts], and direct behavior to achieve a response that
furthers the desired intent of the propagandist13
At this point, you might want to remind students that within the first few months of
being appointed Chancellor, Hitler created a Ministry of Public Enlightenment and
Propaganda. The United States federal government, like many nations, has ministries (or
departments) of defense, treasury, and education, but does not have a department of
propaganda. You might give students the opportunity to consider what the director of a
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda might do? They could write about this
question in their journals and/or discuss it with a partner. Under the Nazis, Josef
Goebbels, the director of this ministry, attempted to control every piece of information
the German public was exposed to—from school textbooks to films to newspapers to the
language used by soldiers.
In this lesson, students will analyze three examples of German propaganda: two posters
and a page from a children’s book. There are several ways you could structure students’
analysis of propaganda. We suggest that you do the first image together as a whole class so
that you can model how to answer questions with specific evidence. You might continue
to analyze images as a whole class, or you might have students analyze the other images in
small groups or independently.
Lesson 11 • 162
A Four-Step Process for Analyzing Images
(Note: Handout 2 is a worksheet you can use to guide students through this process. Handout
3 is an example of an analysis of a page from the children’s book, The Poisonous Mushroom.)
Step one: Description
Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, colors,
lines, placement of objects on the page, etc.
Step two: Identification
Record basic information about the image. What do you know about it? Who created it?
When? Who do you think was the intended audience? In what format or media was it distributed (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertisement in a newspaper, etc.)?
Step three: Interpretation
Based on what you know about this image, what message do you think the creator of this piece
intends to express?
Step four: Evaluation
Does this image utilize lies or misleading information to express its message? If so, how?
In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.
One important point for students to take away from this exercise is that propaganda is
designed to express an intended message to a particular audience. The effectiveness of the text
depends on how the messenger (creator) was able to use words, pictures, color, and composition to communicate this message. After students interpret the meaning of the images, it is
important that they evaluate them from an ethical standpoint. Just because a piece of propaganda is effective, that does not mean that the text is fair or ethical. Often effective propaganda, including Nazi propaganda, uses lies or misleading information to convey ideas. Also,
Nazi propaganda is considered unethical by most historians because it was designed to inflict
harm. One way you might have students evaluate these images is to ask them to explain which
image they believe is the most harmful. As students share their answers, you can begin to tease
out qualities that make some examples of propaganda more unethical than others. Finally, you
might end this analysis by having students reflect on the following questions: Based on what
you know about how the Nazis used propaganda, what do you think that Hitler, Goebbels,
and other Nazi leaders believed about how humans react to media (images, newspaper articles,
television, blogs, etc.)? Do you think they believed that most people are critical thinkers, capable of making their own judgments? Why or why not? Do you agree with their ideas about
how people respond to media? Explain your answer.
Follow-Through (in class or at home)
After seeing a Nazi propaganda film called The Eternal Jew, a graduate student named
Marion Pritchard* said:
* Despite these feelings, Marion Pritchard protected the lives of at least 150 Dutch Jews during World War II,
risking her own life and safety to do so.
Lesson 11 • 163
I had attended it with a group of friends . . . some Jewish, some gentile [non-Jewish].
It was so cruel . . . that we could not believe anybody would have taken it seriously, or
find it convincing. But the next day one of the gentiles [non-Jews] said that she was
ashamed to admit that the movie had affected her. That although it strengthened her
resolve to oppose the German regime, the film had succeeded in making her see Jews
as “them.” And that of course was true for all of us. The Germans had driven a wedge
in what was one of the most integrated communities in Europe.14
You might end this lesson by sharing this quotation with students and asking them to
reflect on how they think propaganda might have influenced their lives. Questions you
might use to prompt students’ journal writing include: Have you ever felt like Marion
Pritchard? After seeing a movie or an advertisement or listening to a song, have you ever
felt like a message about individuals or groups might stick with you, even though you
knew the message is not true?
Assessment(s)
Students’ responses on handout 2 can be used to evaluate their ability to paraphrase and
interpret a primary source document. Their work on handout 2 and their comments during class discussion will provide evidence of how students are able to explain how a law
might impact individual and group behavior. Another way to evaluate students’ historical
understanding is to ask them to describe how the laws passed by Hitler represent the
ideas in the Nazi Party platform. Finally, in students’ journal entries and comments during class discussions, look for students to express a deeper understanding of discrimination. Students should be able to define discrimination as specific laws, policies, or practices that treat individuals differently because of their membership in a particular group,
and they should be developing an awareness of how some groups might benefit from discriminatory policies while other groups suffer as a result of these same practices.
Extensions
• After students have studied Nazi propaganda, give them the opportunity to think
about propaganda in their own lives. Students are surrounded by advertisements
and other media that are intended to influence public opinion, and it is a useful
skill for them to be able to interpret and evaluate these texts and images. You can
ask them to consider how a group to which they belong (gender, race, age, religion,
neighborhood, school, nation, etc.) is represented by the media (by a song, a newspaper article, advertisements, etc.). Students can share a specific example, either
found on the Internet, in magazines, or on television, and then discuss whether or
not they think this example should be defined as propaganda, based on the definitions they developed in class. Students could also organize these examples on a continuum from most ethical to least ethical. Finally, it might be especially illuminating
to include an example of propaganda with a positive message, such as a public service announcement for recycling or voting. Then you can have students analyze these
images using the same four-step process they used during this lesson.
• The German Propaganda Archive (http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/) posts
other examples of propaganda, including speeches, posters, and political cartoons.
You can search their collection for other images to use during this lesson or for students to analyze for homework. If you want to spend more time teaching your students about how to analyze propaganda, the Institute for Propaganda includes a list
of propaganda techniques and other helpful resources.
Lesson 11 • 164
Lesson 11: Handout 1, Document 1
Nazi Propaganda
The caption on this poster reads: “Healthy Parents Have Healthy Children.”
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media.
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Lesson 11: Handout 1, Document 2
Nazi Propaganda
This is a page from a German children’s book called Der Giftpilz (The Poisonous Mushroom)
published in 1938. The text under the picture reads, “Just as it is often very difficult to tell the
poisonous from the edible mushrooms, it is often very difficult to recognize Jews as thieves
and criminals. . . .”
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media.
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Lesson 11: Handout 1, Document 3
Nazi Propaganda
The words on this poster read, “Youth Serves the Führer: All Ten-Year-Olds into the
Hitler Youth.”
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media.
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Lesson 11: Handout 2
Nazi Propaganda: Image Analysis Worksheet
Step one: Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, colors,
lines, placement of objects on the page, etc.
Step two: Identify basic information about this image. What do you know about it?
1. Who created it?
2. When?
3. In what format or media was it distributed (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertisement
in a newspaper, etc.)?
4. Who do you think was the intended audience?
Step three: Interpret this image.
• What do you think it means? What message do you think the creator of this piece intends to express?
Provide specific evidence from the image to support your ideas.
• How do you think this message might have influenced the attitudes and actions of women, men, and
children living in Germany?
Step four: Evaluate this image. Does this image utilize lies or misleading information to express its
message? If so, how? In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media. • 168
Lesson 11: Handout 3
Nazi Propaganda: Sample Analysis of Document 2
Step one: Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, lines,
placement of objects on the page, etc.
• Teenage girl and young boy, both with blond hair and carrying baskets.
• Boy and girl in a forest—four tree trunks and leaves in the background, grass and mushrooms on
the ground.
• Boy is facing the girl, girl is above boy looking at him.
• The boy is holding up a mushroom. The girl’s finger is pointed at the mushroom.
• The sky in the background is overcast.
• The mushroom is in the center of the image, and it is also in the gap between the four trees.
Step two: Identify basic information about this image. What do you know about it?
1. Who created it? Julius Streicher, a Nazi and founder of a newspaper
2. When? 1938
3. In what format or media was it distributed (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertisement in a newspaper, etc.)? Children’s book called The Poisonous Mushroom
4. Who do you think was the intended audience? Children and parents
Step three: Interpret this image.
• What do you think it means? What message do you think the creator of this piece intends to
express? Provide specific evidence from the image to support your ideas.
I think Streicher was trying to warn German children that the Jews may not appear dangerous, but they really
are. The whole scene looks very innocent. It takes place in nature. The children are well-dressed, but not too
fancy, and they both look like the ideal Aryan German (blond with fair skin). They appear to be on a nice
outing to pick mushrooms. Streicker draws your attention to the mushroom by placing it in the middle of the
image. Your attention is further directed at the mushroom because the girl is pointing to it and because both
the girl and the boy are looking at it. The mushroom looks like a regular mushroom, just like the ones on the
ground. But the caption and the name of the book lets you know that the mushroom is really poisonous. Also,
from the girl’s expression and the way she is pointing it looks as if she is warning the boy about something
related to the mushroom. From the caption, we know that the mushroom is supposed to represent the Jews.
This image expresses the idea that innocent Germans must be warned about the Jews because even though the
Jews may blend in and appear harmless, they can actually inflict harm on Germany.
• How do you think this message might have influenced the attitudes and actions of women, men,
and children living in Germany?
This image might have caused German children and their parents to fear their Jewish neighbors. Even if the
Jews they know have not done anything wrong, children reading this book may believe that Jews are only pretending to be good, but that they are really evil. This image might have influenced German parents who were
reading this book to their children. They might have thought that they needed to protect their children from
Jews. Also, this image makes the audience think of Jews not as people, but as a poisonous plant that must be
gotten rid of.
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media.
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Lesson 11: Handout 3
Nazi Propaganda: Sample Analysis of Document 2 (continued)
Step four: Evaluate this image. Does this image utilize lies or misleading information to express its message? If so, how? In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.
This image is unethical because it uses lies to express a negative message. Jews are not thieves or criminals and
they were not trying to harm Germany. They just wanted to live their lives like any other Germans. Most Jews
contributed to Germany in positive ways—by volunteering in the army, working as teachers or doctors, and
even as famous scientists and artists. So, this image was spreading lies about Jews and that is unfair. This
image is also an unethical example of propaganda because it was intentionally designed to provoke fear, prejudice and hate.
Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students’ ability to interpret media. • 170
Notes
Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, trans. Ralph Manheim (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1943), 632–33.
“Goebbels and ‘The Big Lie,’” Jewish Virtual Library website,
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/goebbelslie.html (accessed January 13, 2009).
3
Mfonobong Nsehe, The Adolf Hitler Book: Essays, Speeches, and Quotations from Adolf Hitler (Seattle:
CreateSpace, 2008), 474.
4
Max von der Grün, Howl Like the Wolves: Growing Up in Nazi Germany (New York: William Morrow,
1980), 76.
5
Margot Stern Strom, Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior (Brookline: Facing
History and Ourselves National Foundation, 1994), 215.
6
Horst Krüger, A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler (New York: Fromm International Publishing
Corporation, 1982), 17.
7
David Lloyd George, “I Talked to Hitler,” Daily Express (London), 17 November, 1936.
8
George Sabine, History of Political Theory (London: G. Harrap, 1950), 884.
9
“Media Literacy: A Definition . . . And More,” Center for Media Literacy website,
http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/rr2def.php (accessed January 13, 2009).
10
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, “propaganda,” (accessed January 13, 2009).
11
Concise Oxford English Dictionary, “propaganda,” as quoted on Media Literacy Clearinghouse website,
http://www.frankwbaker.com/progaganda.htm (accessed January 13, 2009).
12
Dr. Anthony Pratkanis as quoted in Daniel Goleman, “Voters Assailed by Unfair Persuasion,” New York
Times, October 27, 1992, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res
=9E0CE6DCI33AF934A15753CIA9649582608&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod-permalink
(accessed January 13, 2009).
13
Garth Jowett and Victoria O’Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion, as quoted on Medial Literacy
Clearinghouse website, (accessed January 13, 2009).
14
Marion Pritchard as quoted in The Courage to Care, ed. Carol Rittner and Sondra Myers (New York: New
York University Press, 1986), 28.
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