Propaganda In The Classroom
Propaganda was continuously used to deliberately spread, information or ideas. As part of Hitler’s programme to reshape German minds, the children were indoctrinated from a very early age, propaganda was used to manipulate, and to bolster, encourage the cult of personality surrounding Adolf Hitler himself. From an early age Germans were taught to focus on external enemies like Jews and communist’s the constant brainwashing was encouraged by the teachers and also the Hitler Youth.
Adolf Hitler wrote about propaganda in his book Mein Kampf, in which he first advocated the use of propaganda to spread the ideals of the National Socialism, including racism, anti-Semitism, and anti-bolshevism. He said in his own words, “Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people… Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea.” (Adolf Hitler, 1926) When the Nazis came into power in 1933, Hitler established a head of propaganda this was Joseph Goebbels. The ministry’s aim was to ensure that the Nazi message and their ideals were successfully communicated and passed on through art, music, theatre, films, radio, the press, and for propaganda to target the youth of Germany it was used in books and educational material. (Jennifer Llewellyn, Jim Southey and Steve Thompson, 2014).
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One illustration that was published in 1938 comes from the book Der Giftpilz the book was intended for children and the book aimed to increase anti-Semitism by teaching young Germans negative myths about Jewish people. The illustration shown above sets a scene of a classroom, it shows students being taught how to recognise the stereotypical physical characteristics of Jews. In the illustration it shows a young boy at a chalk board being taught that the Jewish nose is hooked like the number six. Other attributes that are mentioned throughout the story are puffy lips, fleshy eyelids, and a deceitful look (Education throughout history, 2012). This relevant primary source corroborates with Hitler’s ideals that were displayed in his book. The illustration represents the extent that the German Government were going to in manipulating the youth of Germany by creating powerful propaganda to turn the young influential children in Germany to hate the Jews just like their leader. The Government even included propaganda in simple maths problems “The Jews are aliens in Germany in 1933 there were 66,060,000 inhabitants in the German Reich, of whom 499,682 were Jews. What is the percent of aliens?” (Mills, 2012) The reliable source taken from a school text book from 1933 gives a relevant perspective of the material and content that was being taught it demonstrates how propaganda took control of the classroom enabling the Nazi government to tighten the rains even further on the German youth’s ideals and perception of the nation, through simple story books that would innocently be read, however powerfully educating the future Germans and Nazi followers.