The Nazi-Propagandist Distortion of Reality

The German propaganda historic archive shows a series of evidence of Nazi propaganda. Examining the propganda implemented in documents, news articles, cartoons, ads, billboards, and speeches can help provide a greater understanding as to why Hitler was so effective in swaying public opinion and stimulating the masses to embrace his ideologies that had started out as radical, but ultimately became widely appealing replacing the status quo. Hitler’s effective exploitation of propaganda was the primary reason for his success as a leader. From the begining his campaigning ads targeted and exploited precisely the emotive appeal. He catered to the frustrated, anger and embitterned.

The imagery and rhetoric he implemented was extremely potent. This one ad which shows numerous desperate hands receiving food, was said to be one of the most effective ads. (Unfortunately I couldn't upload it, i will try again )Many other series of advertisements were effective in terms of characterizing Hitler as a strong competent leader who would grant them respite from all their social, and economic sufferings, that permeated the post-World War I era.
Hitler’s campaigning catered particularly to the hungry and embittered proletariat. Through his craftiness and duplicity, he expertly channeled basic mundane issues, such as the widespread dire need of food, jobs, and security toward invigorating anti-Semitism. Disgust with the Third Reich government, and the need of social and economic reform, would not have so overwhelmingly resulted in the hatred of Jews, were it not for Hitler implementing a casual-effect relationship between the two otherwise unrelated entities. Hitler used the classic scapegoat appeal; he expertly channeled the widespread anger and frustration with social injustices and used it to dig up and a revitalize a hatred of Jews that dated back centuries via creating hyperbolic images and caricaturized drawings of Jews as a notorious hooked nose, money hungry, sleazy group of people out to dupe the Aryan race.

The Nazi campaigning and the messages and information put forth once they were elected illustrate the potency of propaganda. Propaganda can legitimize even the most sinister of agendas. A mere argument for bread and work transformed into a quest for preserving the Aryan race and obliterating the entire Jewish people.. The only way these aspects of Hitler’s agenda could have been implemented was through expertly intertwining this with the widespread social suffering.

One particularly interesting article Hitler wrote is where he realizes, that not everyone will greet and embrace the new status quo in the ideal way, and people will likely question and even object to the new anti-Semitic attitudes and restrictions; thus he implements an iota of “rational” persuasion. In this article (the anti-Semitic arguments ) ten responses are provided as counterarguments to the most common objections among Germans to the new anti-Semitic measures. It used the pretense of “counterargument”, but in reality was a sick and twisted form of providing information. The entire core of the argument is not based on reason, or on any objective evaluation of the claim of a “Jewish problem” Rather it builds on already established myths, provides warped anecdotal evidence to suggest reality, and contains “philosophical” argument that are inherently flawed. It almost screams propaganda, and anyone with half a brain would’ve realized the article for what it was. Yet, people bought into these arguments as well and embraced the values that were put forth.
Hitler’s success was due to an audience that was growing increasingly more susceptible to the powerful hyperbolic images, the metaphoric rhetoric, and the twisted facts called ‘information”, that constituted propaganda. In fact, it would be a flawed and naïve way of thinking that the Nazi strength of power was derived exclusively from the cleverness and expertise of their propaganda. Effective propaganda is impossible without recipients who will adopt what is being suggested. Adults cannot be coerced into adopting beliefs, nor forced to conceptually embrace values that were put forth via propaganda. Yes the information was manipulated and distorted, but even when an audience can distinguish between objective fact-based messages and information full of lies or exaggeration that is inherently appealing, they will tend to prefer the latter. People allow themselves to be seduced by propaganda because it offers them a way of coping. They persist in adherence to certain already established preferences or beliefs despite all the evidence to the contrary; they are willing copartners in this process of self deceit.
There is no better evidence of this than the Germans allowing themselves to enter and participate in the Nazi ideology fantasy world.