Page 94 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

hitler, adolf 913

Hitler on the Use of ful satisfaction of a few scholars or “aesthetic” lan-
guage monkeys.
Propaganda
Thisisjusttheartofpropagandathatit,understand-
Before Adolf Hitler rose to power in Nazi Germany, he ing the great masses’ world of ideas and feelings,
served as head of propaganda for the Nazi Party.This finds, by a correct psychological form, the way to the
excerpt from his book Mein Kampf spells out how he attention,and further to the heart,of the great masses.
felt leaders should use propaganda. That our super-clever heads never understand this
proves only their mental inertia or their conceit.[...]
All propaganda has to be popular and has to adapt
It is wrong to wish to give propaganda the versa-
its spiritual level to the perception of the least intelli-
tility of perhaps scientific teaching.
gent of those towards whom it intends to direct
The great masses’ receptive ability is only very
itself.Therefore its spiritual level has to be screwed the
limited, their understanding is small, but their for-
lower, the greater the mass of people which one
getfulness is great. As a consequence of these facts,
wants to attract. But if the problem involved, like the
all effective propaganda has to limit itself only to a
propaganda for carrying on a war, is to include an
very few points and to use them as slogans until
entire people in its field of action, the caution in
even the very last man is able to imagine what is
avoiding too high spiritual assumptions cannot be
intended by such a word. As soon as one sacrifices
too great.
this basic principle and tries to become versatile, the
The more modest, then, its scientific ballast is, and
effect will fritter away, as the masses are neither able
the more it exclusively considers the feeling of the
to digest the material nor to retain it.Thus the result
masses, the more striking will be its success. This,
is weakened and finally eliminated.
however, is the best proof whether a particular piece
Source: Hitler, A. (1939). Mein Kampf (pp. 332–333). New York: Reynal & Hitchcock.
of propaganda is right or wrong, and not the success-

As long as the Weimar Republic experienced eco- opponents into hastily erected concentration camps. In
nomic stability from 1924 to 1929, aided by private March 1933 Hitler forced passage of an enabling act
U.S. loans, it could pay off its reparations. Prosperity that granted him dictatorial powers and emasculated
also deadened the appeal of political extremists, Nazis the Weimar constitution.Weimar’s last election gave the
included. However, the stock market crash of October Nazis only 43.9 percent of the vote, but that plurality
1929 struck Germany’s export economy with particu- enabled Hitler to wield complete power. Soon he sup-
lar severity. The nation’s conservative business and pressed all other political parties, absorbed the trade
political leaders could not stem massive unemploy- union movement, and instituted Gleichschaltung (lev-
ment, and the Nazis and Communists successfully grid- eling), the co-opting of all political, social, and profes-
locked government.The crisis deepened, and gradually sional associations into his party apparatus. Germans
moderate voters drifted rightward into the ranks of the were compelled to greet each other daily with the
Nazis. Finally, on 30 January 1933, the conservative words “Heil Hitler!” and an outstretched right arm.That
leaders elevated Hitler to the chancellorship of a coali- greeting powerfully reinforced political conformity.
tion government.They assumed that they could use him Shunning orthodox economic advice, Hitler began
as a figurehead. construction of expressways and public housing, pro-
Hitler proved them wrong. Once in power he under- grams that he had blocked while in opposition. Quietly
mined democracy, deliberately fostering panic after an he also initiated massive rearmament programs.Within
arsonist burned the Reichstag (Parliament) building. months the economy improved, unemployment ebbed,
The Nazis herded thousands of Communists and other and Hitler’s popularity soared. Renewed prosperity plus