The Goal: Suppress the opposition and reinforce Nazi power
The Means: Censorship and propaganda
The Result: The deliberate slaughter of millions
The Nazis blatant use of propaganda allowed for a swift takeover and gave them a terrifying amount of power over the German people. Although they weren't the first to censor, they are definite proof that censorship is the most deadly government tool.
It all started when the minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, was given the power to censor radio, press, television, music and even art. He was a devout supporter of Hitler and was known for his hatred of Jews. With Goebbel feeding the population lies and hate, Hitler could destroy his enemies effortlessly.
Goebbel wrote dozens of articles and speeches praising Hitler, war efforts and, of course, the "master race". But what gained him attention were his more hateful pieces.
He would regularly denounce those who complained in any way about what was happening in Germany. He targeted the Jews, whom he regularly blamed for all the problems in Germany. Unfortunately, his fear-mongering would work and the Germans would obey Hitler's every command.
Posters were common propaganda tools that sent particularly hateful messages about Jews and African-Americans. Other posters idolized Hitler, praised whites, and glorified being part of the Nazi party.
The German people were bombarded by images, radio broadcasts, movies and newspaper publications. They only knew what they were allowed to see or hear. It was only a matter of time before their conditioning would set in and they'd be willing to do whatever was necessary to make Germany strong again.
Once they believed in the propaganda, they felt empowered to take action. They burned "enemy" books, boycotted "enemy" shops and beat anyone "inferior". Goebbel ironically urged Germans to defend themselves from Jewish propaganda and buy only at German shops.
Eventually, once all the "enemies" were rounded up and put in concentration camps, Hitler ordered that they be exterminated. We all know how cruel it was. We've seen the horrors of the Holocaust and are left asking "why?". Why would another human being inflict pain, dehumanize and kill another human being?
All this was caused by propaganda.
If Hitler hadn't appointed Goebbel to manufacture propaganda, then the people would never have supported his actions. If "non-German" information was allowed to circulate, then the people would have been aware of the lies that their precious Führer spread.
If there wasn't any propaganda or censorship, then I think it's safe to assume that there never would have been a Holocaust. And Hitler knew that. The quote (at the top) says it all; he wanted to "imprint" his ideas into the German people. By directly controlling what his people were exposed to, he had the power to make them do whatever he wanted them to do.
Is there a legitimate reason why censorship should be used? Obviously what the Nazis did is clear proof at how terrible the use of censorship/propaganda can be. What worse thing could a government do than hand pick what the people are allowed to know or not know? It's a destructive, manipulating tool that I find inappropriate no matter what the circumstances are.
Actual articles, speeches and other propaganda tools from the 1930's:
Nazi Propaganda at the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Jews are Guilty! by J. Goebbels
The Creators of the World's Misfortunes
Word Count = 563
