Adolph Hitler's legendary propaganda programs steered public opinion with unprecedented precision. Learn how this massive campaign influenced the average war-time German in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
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Welcome to stuff, you missed in history, class from house works dot com
going out into the pie gas time added. Her candle send drawn by staff writer, Jane Favour, Jane gotta play Hatton issued talk about propaganda, and
have a ganda. Isn't just I want you, posters featuring Uncle SAM it as I dont side too, that's right, it does have a dark saving is most noon for back and world were too with the Hitler in his propaganda machine, but we're gonna take a step back.
First and and talk about the origin of propaganda which dates back to bed
Sixteen twenty two. It was actually the catholic church when Papa,
agree the fifteenth, I believe he
story the congregation of propaganda- and you know it
at the time, it's not like a height, but in a word it just
that he wanted to convert back. People were converted to protestantism from the reformation.
That time exactly so, it was a type of missionary
work really, and you may not think that missionary work is synonymous with propaganda, but when you take
term propaganda and look at it in a nutshell, you can see that
it dies fall into the big umbrella and essentially, propaganda is a type of media. Whether its print or broadcast its use to convey a message to persuade someone to do something and it could be good or it could be better,
when you're trying to convince someone to act in a way that would benefit himself or herself than you know. You could say that that propaganda isn't to harmful, but a few.
Fine to disseminate information. That's really
cited and you're, not sharing all the facts. And ultimately, if you persuade a person to act, a certain way, it's going to be detrimental to hammer her. Then you ve got a case of bad propaganda.
And introduce here on the issue of what exactly is propaganda is because it is such a widely dispute,
definition like scholars like dedicate their their academic lives to defining,
began. I so you know we have to take this to talk with the grain of salt of what is propaganda. It's different things to different people
and we know that origins of propaganda may stretched back as far as difficult times when a syrian king actually use fear propaganda, which is a type that will get into an a second to wage, the surrender of the kingdom of Judah.
I'm scholar she say that Caesar may have use proper, get propaganda to bolster his reputation. So
Ultimately, Jane is going to get into a really interesting story about propaganda, but before we can get, there are going to cover some basic so that you guys can have a better, more scholarly understanding of what propaganda is, and I think that a good place to start just to get you guys. Thinking about that is to tell you about a few different types of groups that use propaganda today, so think about the last in
smoking commercial. You saw or a safe driving campaign, or maybe some of you out. There are high schoolers and there's someone who comes right before senior prom and
Inner brings us smashed up car into the quiet that someone who is driving drunk in your got into an accident like this is propaganda. It's the visual technique. It's an oral technique, something
to convince you to act a certain way and it's not just and high. Something group sets business as its political groups, its governmental organizations, its political
candidate, certainly all out their heard, a radio out or saw television spot back in her before
remember election, the eleven where right off this time, we're like word is inundated with these political messages, commercial, every two seconds for this candidate or that candidate. Although this is
the gathering in your right dimension,
We usually think of propaganda is the sort of political messages, but, of course, everything from anti smoking ants to drinking
It's over it's era and dont confuse propaganda with advertisements. You have to think about whose disseminating the message to you, who is trying to get you to act in a certain way and we'll get into a couple of different ways that you can tell us
I sense from propaganda. So now talk about some different techniques that people use propaganda. The first one is usually issued with propaganda, scold name calling and that's exactly what it sounds like you guys. Yes, it is it's. Basically you from the schoolyard in own use,
also when a name and basically people say that you can do this. Are people usually do do this when they want to take the vote
of themselves and they want to answer a question directly. We have a very good argument to return with, and so they just
turn it on me, they're opponent, and they call them something like a hypocrite or trade area and its really effective into harking back again to the November elections. In their campaign we saw a lot of name calling surrounding Barack Obama.
Because it is really easy to throw terms into their into the mix like now he's a terrorist, or you know, he's
era or Muslim. These are some of the terms that people used to name call hen and a lot of the people who are calling in these names did it out of fear or
say, Miss education of who he really wise. It's at a cheap and
easy indirect way to get decide rallied against someone yellow, threaten you bring us to another version or another method, freezing propaganda, which is fear, and you can see this lie. I mean not to say one word the other about about global warming, but global war.
Proponents. You want to sit or pay attention to. The issue will use fear in terms of saying look. What will happen to our side
plant in general. If we don't act, all different kinds of movements
the force of fear to get people to come to their side, and that leads to another
good wine, and that was not a good one necessarily, but one is analogous to at nuts the bandwagon technique, and the idea is that you can,
someone. While everybody else is on their side. Don't you want to be on the side too, and it plays on human emotion too, not want to be left alone in the dust. So if you know everyone is good,
you vote a certain way or everyone. You now believes in global warming. Then why not?
The bandwagon? You be part of a two does true and the idea of wanting to be
Everyone else brings us together one day we call plain folks way:
elite. Lofty politicians can control
fi, with the average ordinary person by making him or herself is sir.
Like there's ordinary, exactly and if you guys remember an earlier podcast, we did about ever peronne we.
Mention that she spent a lot of her time going around Argentina, kissing babies, cutting ribbons at green openings and things like that, and this is gonna politicians round the world useless technique because of the way to be a part of the mass and how many pictures have you seen of people running for president or people who are president's? Oh, I don't know, say job
two Mcdonald's, for breakfast lounging on a fishing boat. It's a really good way to keep in touch with the common man when you're not exactly common.
Trade and another method. Car related to that is the idea of transfer which you taking like us.
Or something and most people like an try
burning it to your own cause. I correct me if I'm wrong Candice, but I can associate this with the bloody shirt sort of method in terms
calling on emotions that people already have with one thing like
You know the death of a hero or something like that and bring it over to their own side. In saying, if you, if you feel anything for this new fallen hero than you have to join our side sort of thing, I definitely I think that is
ball or any time you see again. We take. We keep coming back to political office, but it's just such in our salient point anytime. You see a political figures face in front of an american flag or an eagle or something like that.
Sure, you get that sense that there are lined with a symbol that we had a lot of trust in a lot of history, where, if you have patriotism, you data exactly, and that brings us to a final technique that we're gonna discussed and that his glittering generalities and use of words like patriotism and liberty and dream and family the idea.
These very scintillating sweet, little messages and terms it you can throw around in contacts with the person's name makes it seem like that person is, is criticism, proof of it,
say that you now so, and so is a family man and he believes and patriotism. Well, how could
be bad, but if you say in out of here
there is a family man and he certainly has a dream. We know that in out at least retrospectively his dream
in such a good idea? That brings us to the most popular that makes most famous. I should say pro:
Deanna Machine run by Hitler. Here
actually eliminate a propaganda from the other side. That's that's to do. It is just to get rid of it
immense contrary to what you believe cut the people off from from their act.
To that information and
She had a minister propaganda in Joseph Goebbels, and
ran the National Ministry for public Enlightenment and propaganda, which I think is very interesting and Goebbels base.
We ran all media. He ran news, radio, literature
movies. You name it there's a famous one call triumph of the will. He actually even banned jazz release. He tried to behind the music itself seem to individualistic and he wants to bring people in line which I didn't know before. Those very interesting fact
very cunning in the like, even when Germany lost the battle and things didn't look so great, even even falsify information, he didn't want to seem like someone who's covering up. He would just sort of drawing
local parallels to drive up some spirit, and he would sometimes you know
say: oh Germany, as a secret weapon to worry guys like everything's gonna, be all right. So go
This is one of the most famous and he is very effective too. I mean just the whole hype over over Hitler and the idea.
Hitler would be bringing Germany back as a world power. Is it really
then it was essential. Part of Hitler's whole regime definitely, and I think that the Nazis took a cure,
success, a propaganda and world war wine and really made propaganda, a vital component of their campaign and
Far, as I understand like you were thing to invade dispelled
information that would cost the Nazis and unfavourable lies, and they did things like.
Selling radio. Is it really rock bottom prices so that everyone can have a medium through which to hear the nazi message? They were silent films
I join the Nazis at work, and here there is major
a very large larger than life, really an and God like, and he was ever
It was a very pervasive part of the war
and on the other side, as if you were with the and the allies, you could see that it worked pretty wild
use Hitler in a way. To
the people back home to act in favour of the war say you were trying to ration. There were a couple of U S work.
Where to posters, it said things like on.
It helps the enemy or they were trying to get people to conserve, feel by carpooling, and so there is this one poster of a guy in a way of getting rid of the heart and he's got this ghost of a figure. Next, to how much is clear,
Fifthly Hitler and the line reads when you write alone, you ride with Hitler
another one of my favorite one, just tryin to encourage women to get a wartime job, while the men,
away. Incestuous is very glamorous. Looking woman, looking very forlorn and staring into the distance, and
The line on that one reads: longing won't bring in home any sooner get a war job,
just ego and end of propaganda like that's what makes you feel good, could you back in your member when you
I can imagine that people really now bucking urban and working hard to to feel patriotic
get the country through the war, and I think that's one of the reasons that propaganda like
today, a sort of an art form. You know we can look at it as a piece of art and study. The
color and the way that the figures are.
And how are you
his verses photography and we see photography being used and propaganda from this time too, especially when I guess that the people, the masterminds behind a propaganda, wonder
visceral image to really drive the fact home that people were dying out there?
So you can look back a robber to propagate anti different levels of I guess of seriousness and and appeal to people trying to
people involved. Yes interesting, you mentioned, are that's one thing. I find really interesting about propaganda and, like a calls back to an earlier pike, as we did on raising the river of aid,
brought in northern Iraq. Well, you pain of
MS image of of rosy, but
so you look it or in terms of literature, which I find interesting. If you take a look at Harriet, Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's cabin, for instance, when the most famous visas, propaganda, anti slavery, propaganda and books, leg, Marx's, communist manifesto. Obviously I than my comp yeah, yeah, incredibly influential and actually now say about Marxists later Mark
they came after Karl Marx, actually define
up agenda as the reasoned use of historical and scientific arguments to doktor neatly
educated public and they contrast it this to what they called agitation
adaptation to them was using half truths.
More underhanded ways to exploit the uneducated and
I find this an interesting differentiation, but also
they they came to the conclusion that they needed to use both of these things. In order to succeed it all put it together. They should call it agitprop, interesting,
but it is interesting that they knew that they needed to go after the educated in any uneducated through underhanded means. In order to succeed, all that's really smart because you can get the uneducated people on your side, using technical Site
and wagon method or glittering generalities. But if you're going to laughter college, educated people who pride themselves on being independent thinkers and being able to think above the average man you're going to need a more structured, just means rose, you're gonna have to appeal to it an ideological precepts.
And can argue ass. That's to injure Saint. You brought up Uncle Tom Cabin. I write that back in grad school and if you look at
You know that the style of prose and the left
the cobbler use its pretty basic. Anyone could get through that bar
level of readers very long, but you can get through it s written very simplistically and there's something.
Beautiful about a tune. It certainly a touching story, but its men for any reader and it
To my mind, the idea of its speech, communication
I wanna pathos appeal on an ethos of yellow you appealing to someone's emotions or you appealing to someone's ethics, and I think it has two different types of intelligence to relate there. There helps if you ve got both
You know if you're trying to get a wider audience. I think our emotional pills, usually the quickest way, not when you see people even like in
abortion protesters sitting on the street corner, holding up a sign of a feeder as or
an arm or something that senior sort of gory really gets here right there sure yeah, it's interesting, I mean if we're gonna, convey anything in this discussion of propaganda. I is the idea that Barbicane,
come in so many different forms and for so many different purposes. I know one topic that you are interested in Kansas is the idea of the cold of Jones town.
As you know, in the article we have on site actually mentions drinking the Kool aid and comes from from this cult of convincing people
this too, to drink poison, basically how to propaganda- and that's that's very effective. It's amazing what people can be convinced to dear, oh, if words or span and massacres messages, are spun and just the right way and at least in the United States. We should be very grateful for the fact that back in two thousand five
George, W Bush administration, sign into law. The stop government propaganda now bill. Essentially this bill made its unlocked
All for tv reporters take money to spend a story and also any messages that are disseminated have to clearly state whose funding
and the idea is that on government funds can't be allocated to pay for propaganda,
ray, and this came out to some scandals. I think re governmental agencies paying tv reporters to actually skew messages towards
what they wanted to convey to the people,
several really lucky, I know that in China, for instance, the people who live there aren't quarters lucky
as the government, actually back in two thousand seven there is public secure.
Ministry hired nearly thirty thousand people to oversee electronic activity.
And these are online forums and the internet is a really largely unmonitored source of propaganda and at the double edged sword, because while the internet can be helpful for you to research, both sides of the sorry to see you know who is trying to get you to think why
it also is a really big centre of these confusing propaganda type messages, but in China
When people are browsing online. The government had these two cartoon police caricatures, korea- that was, will pop up every now and then to remind people that their activity was
interact and so
only would you be made to feel that you weren't free to educate yourself into research, both sides of the story,
its known that in our people over there can't trust necessarily all the statistics that come from the government. There is one case were really
the reins one summer had flooded parts of different.
Nowadays in towns, and there were a lot of debt.
From drowning and the government released assumed that only thirty or so people had died,
That clearly wasn't the case, because aggressor started been flooded and at least a hundred people had died,
disaster, and so once the floodwaters had receded and people could see. No
corpses floating everywhere was clear. The government had lied. So again we
be grateful for our freedoms and also really responsible and think about who is sending a message in and what point is that person tourniquet across who's, paying them so buck up? You guys and do your wrist.
That's true and its interests, and you say it's a double edged sword being having the internet. Everything even mean that horrible of course said that China would with suppressed the information from the internet, but at the same time,
when we have more options, people tend to only go to those those places where they know their their own already established. Opinions are gonna, be reinforced
Oh, you know you take like if you, if you think that some news channels, for instance, I lean towards the left and in some way towards the right- the idea that people fear is that people who are mortars left will only listen to the leftist stations and people towards the right when we listen to the right and nobody's ever gonna get like a moderately objective story as though that is one drawback to having the internet in so many variety of of you know, sources of information right eye
variety a candy bad as well as it can be good. And I know that with an issue that even came out with the two thousand and elections, there were a lot of criticism.
Run out against the media for not being objective and portraying the two presidential candidates and even leading up to think that the Democratic National Convention, the portrayal of Obama, Clinton, respect.
And how things turn out. There's a lot of above- and I think that this year, especially and even during the first one hundred days of the administration
media really can be called a task to be fair and to be objective.
Think it's easy when you have a young
President in office, you have such a beautiful families, whose capable of such great things and the country's going through a hard time think it's easy to.
One way and to give out
really excited hopeful messages, but you can't overlooked the fact. Sarah
Interesting to see what happens and as always, when you got your reading, your newspapers, reading your internet resources and listening to these on the radio and tv just be careful and
for yourselves and be sure to visit our website to get more information on propaganda and some other historical figures that we discussed, how stuff works for more or less and thousands of other topics that housetop works, dot com. What does know what you think sent an email to podcast at Helstone, more
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Transcript generated on 2020-02-07.