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  • Plays On Emotions

    Propaganda plays on human emotions—fear, hope, anger, frustration, sympathy—to direct audiences toward the desired goal. Hitler argued that the successful propagandist had to understand how to psychologically tailor messages to the public's emotions in order to win people over.

    Attacks Opponents

    Propaganda can serve as a form of political and social warfare to identify and vilify opponents. It can call into question the legitimacy, credibility, accuracy, and even the character of one’s opponents and their ideas. Nazi propagandists contributed to the implementation of the regime’s policies by publicly identifying groups for exclusion, justifying their outsider status, and inciting hatred or cultivating indifference.

    Advertises a Cause

    Adolf Hitler likened propaganda to political advertising: it had to distinguish the party, cause, or individual from their competitors. The Nazis branded themselves and their leader as young, patriotic, political outsiders who alone were capable of reforming Germany. They painted other political parties as special interest groups while portraying the Nazi Party as an inclusive movement representing all non-Jewish Germans, regardless of class, religion, or region.

    Targets Desired Audiences

    Effective propaganda often times conveys messages, themes, and language that appeal directly, and many times exclusively, to specific and distinct segments—and even sub-segments—of the population. Propagandists create messages that appeal directly to the needs, hopes, and fears of the targeted groups. The Nazi Party promoted itself as an inclusive political movement that represented all non-Jewish Germans, regardless of class, gender, religion, or region.

About This Project


The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is exploring the theme of propaganda because the Holocaust shows that propaganda unchecked can have devastating consequences. It reminds us to safeguard freedom of expression and debate, and to use it responsibly.


This is an online forum to promote critical dialogue about what constitutes propaganda and the ways in which it can impact the world. The Museum seeks to strengthen public awareness about when and how propaganda can become dangerous to society.



Credits


Mind Over Media is a project of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and a companion to the special exhibition State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda. This website was made possible through the generous support of the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation. The concept and production were provided by Local Projects and Night Kitchen Interactive.

©2013 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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