decision-making in times of injustice lesson 11

8/14/2019 Decision-Making in Times of Injustice Lesson 11

1/14

Lesson 11 158

Lesson 11

The Nazis in Power: Propaganda and Conformity

?WHY teach this material?Rationale

In this lesson, students will analyze several examples of Nazi propaganda in order to iden-tify the messages that permeated German society, and to consider the impact these mes-sages might have had on the actions and attitudes of German children, women, and men.The activity in this lesson is also intended to help students learn how to analyze propa-ganda through identifying the messenger, the message, and the audience of particularimages. As students practice interpreting images, they develop a useful skill not only for

understanding history, but also for understanding the images that surround them today.Helping students recognize the power of propaganda and giving them the tools to decodeimages are important steps in developing a fundamental skill for todays citizens: medialiteracy.

L E A R N I N G G O A L S

The purpose of this lesson is to help students:

Reflect on these guiding questions: What is propaganda? How did the Nazis use propaganda? What messages were they trying to send? How do you think Nazi propaganda impacted the attitudes and actions of

Germans in the 1930s? What are examples of propaganda in society today? How do you think this propa-ganda impacts the attitudes and actions of people today?

Practice these interdisciplinary skills: Analyzing images Analyzing language

Deepen understanding of these key terms: Propaganda Conformity Media Message, messenger, audience

(See the main glossary in the units Introduction for definitions of these keyterms.)

?WHAT is this lesson about?Propaganda is defined as ideas that are spread (through various media) for the purpose ofinfluencing opinion. This term is often used to refer to material that is used for or against

To deepen your understanding of the ideas in this lesson, read Chapter Five in Facing

History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior.


2/14

a specific political agenda. Hitler and the Nazis were known for their ability to createextensive and varied forms of propaganda, with words and images carefully chosen anddeliberately used to give life to old antisemitic prejudices, elicit opportunistic tendencies,quench dissent, and turn neighbor against neighbor. In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote,[F]rom the childs primer down to the last newspaper, every theater and every moviehouse, every advertising pillar and every billboard must be pressed into the service sub-

jected of this one great mission. . . .1 By establishing the Ministry of PublicEnlightenment and Propaganda as one of his first acts as chancellor, Hitler demonstratedhis belief that controlling information was as important as controlling the military andthe economy. He appointed Josef Goebbels to direct this department. Goebbelss strategyas Propaganda Minister was guided by the maxim, If you tell a lie big enough and keeprepeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.2 He penetrated virtually every sec-tor of German society, from film, radio, posters, and rallies to school textbooks with Nazipropaganda about the dominance of the Aryan people and the threat posed by the Jews.

Hitler is known for saying, What good fortune for governments that people do notthink,3 and his policies were based on the premise that most individuals are conformists

who do not think for themselves. Hitler and Nazi officials believed it was possible tomanipulate public opinion by using propaganda techniques including euphemisms,name-calling, fear, and bandwagon (you are either for us or against us). For example,the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda changed the words used in thearmy, replacing the word work with service to Fhrer and folk and worker withsoldier of labor. Writer Max von der Grn recalls the impact these euphemisms had onhim during his service in the German army:

It is easy to understand that if, for whatever reasons, these words are hammered into apersons brain every day, they soon become a part of his language, and he does notnecessarily stop and think about where they come from and why they were coined inthe first place.4

The scenario described by Max von der Grn exemplifies how the Nazis effective use ofpropaganda shut down Germans capacity for thoughtful deliberation about the informa-tion around them. Demonstrating his commitment to shutting down critical thinking inGermany, Hitler instructed Nazi Party officials to hold rallies in the evening, warning,Never try to convert a crowd to your point of view in the morning sun. Instead the dimlights are usefulespecially the evening when people are tired, their powers of resistanceare low, and their complete emotional capitulation is easy to achieve.5 Horst Kruegeradmitted that many residents of his town of Eichkamp were skeptical of Hitler when hefirst came to power. But he remembers how even those who were not able to attend ral-lies in the big cities were eventually caught up in the spirit they evoked, explaining, thecitizens of Eichkamp were eager to give themselves over to intoxication and rapture. They

were weaponless.6 The Nazis distribution of antisemitic films, newspaper cartoons, andeven childrens books roused centuries-old prejudices against Jews and presented newideas about the racial impurity of Jews. Therefore, when the Nazis began implementingpolicies against Jews, from the Nuremberg laws which stripped them of citizenship rightsto isolating Jews into ghettos, many in the German public were already predisposedagainst this group of people and thus unlikely to stand up for the rights of their formerneighbors.

Lesson 11 159


3/14

Many have remarked on the effectiveness of Hitlers use of information to manipulatepublic opinion. After his visit to Munich during the 1936 Olympic Games, David LloydGeorge, former Prime Minister of Britain, wrote:

Whatever one may think of his methodsand they are certainly not those of a parlia-mentary countrythere can be no doubt that he has achieved a marvelous transfor-

mation in the spirit of the people, in their attitude towards each other, and in theirsocial and economic outlook . . . not a word of criticism or disapproval have I heardof Hitler.7

Scholars, such as professor of philosophy George Sabine, describe Hitler as a leader whomanipulates the people as an artist molds clay.8 Ultimately, the effectiveness of Nazipropaganda reveals as much about the content and strategies involved in producing thisinformation as it does about the audience that received it. When exploring this history

with students it is important to look at propaganda not only through the lens of its cre-ators (the messengers), but also through the lens of its audience. Hitler and other Nazileaders could advance their racist agenda because most members of the German publicbelieved the lies they spread about Jews. From studying Nazi Germany we learn how

individuals, especially young people, are vulnerable to believing myths and lies when theyare not encouraged to critically analyze the world around them and make informed judg-ments based on evidence.

According to the Center for Media Literacy, Media Literacy is the ability to access, ana-lyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms.9 The Nazi education system dis-couraged media literacy. Students were not taught how to develop their own ideas aboutthe images and messages that permeated life during the Third Reich because the successof Hitlers dictatorship depended on the youth believing the lies disseminated by the NaziParty. And, for the most part, the Nazis succeeded in these efforts. Testimonies ofGerman youth reveal that they mostly accepted what they heard and saw as the truth,

without evaluating the accuracy of the statements or the harm these messages inflicted on

vulnerable groups, especially Jews.

The success of Nazi propaganda in influencing the minds and hearts of many Germans,especially German youth, demonstrates the dangers that can befall a society whose citi-zens are not able to make informed judgments about the media around them. By helpingstudents develop the habit of asking questions such as, What is the intended purpose ofthe text? What message is being expressed? How do I know if this information is true?and the ability to answer these questions, we nurture their growth as responsible citizens

who are less likely to be manipulated by malicious propaganda. It is also critical for stu-dents to learn to evaluate the ethical dimensions of propaganda. Studying Nazi propa-ganda reveals that the effective use of information to persuade the public is not the sameas the responsible dissemination of ideas. Many forms of media (i.e., advertising, political

campaign speeches, public service announcements) are produced with the purpose of per-suading public opinion, and might be classified as propaganda. Yet, should all propa-gandaall information that uses emotion or misleading claims to persuade an audi-encebe considered unethical, even propaganda aimed at causes we support? Whatcriteria should we use to evaluate the ethical use of information? In the twenty-first cen-tury, when most of us have increasing access to a wide range of information, it is espe-cially important for students to be equipped with the ability not only to comprehendideas, but to evaluate this information from a moral and intellectual perspective.

Lesson 11 160


4/14

Related readings inFacing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior

No Time to Think, pp. 18991Threats to Democracy, pp. 16061Propaganda, pp. 21821Propaganda and Sports, pp. 22123Art and Propaganda, pp. 22325Using Film as Propaganda, pp. 22527

?HOW can we help students engage with this material?Duration: one class period

Materials

Handout 1: Nazi Propaganda(Documents 13)Handout 2: Nazi PropagandaImage analysis worksheet

Handout 3: Nazi PropagandaSample analysis of Document 2

Opener

In this lesson, students will explore how the Nazis used images and language to influencethe attitudes and actions of the German people. One way to begin this lesson is to askstudents what they might do if they wanted to convince someonefriends, parents,teachers, etc.of an idea. What strategies might they use? What kinds of words wouldthey employ?

Another way to introduce this topic to students, while also reviewing content from theprevious lesson, is to ask students to look at the names the Nazis gave to the laws theyanalyzed during Lesson 9.

For example, the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service sends a mes-sage of improvement; it does not suggest that the law mandates firing people, even if theyare doing good work, just because they belong to a particular group. Ask students toimagine that the law was called the Law for the Discrimination against Civil Service

Workers Who Happen To Be Jews, Communists or Other Individuals We Just DontLike or the Law for Firing Competent Doctors, Teachers, Judges, and City Employees

Who Do Not Belong to the Nazi Party. Ask students to consider the different messagethese new names send and how individuals might have responded to the law differently

with these new titles.

Then, you can give students an opportunity to do this same exercise with a partner. Postthe names of the following laws on the board:

Law for the Protection of German Blood and HonorReich Citizenship LawsLaw for the Protection of Hereditary HealthLaw Against the Establishment of PartiesLaw Concerning the Hitler Youth

Lesson 11 161


5/14

Ask pairs to select one of these laws and then answer the following questions:

What messages does the name of this law send? If you were going to name the same law, what might you call it? What different message might that new name send?

Allow time for volunteers to share their responses. Then, ask students why they think theNazis selected these particular names for their laws. Often students understand that Nazisselected names that they thought would gather the most support for their policies. So,they wanted to highlight the ideas they thought would appeal to the German people

while hiding the parts that they thought might raise concerns.

Main Activities

During the main activity, students will analyze three examples of Nazi propaganda dis-tributed during the 1930s. Before they begin this exercise, help students define the wordpropaganda. Below are several definitions of propaganda you might share with studentsto help them think about the different meanings of this word. You could ask students

which definition/s best describe the practice of naming laws in Nazi Germany.

Lesson 11 162

Definitions of Propaganda

The spreading of ideas for the purpose of helping or harming an insti-tution, a cause, or a person10

Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to pro-mote a political cause or point of view11

A manipulation designed to lead you to a simplistic conclusion ratherthan a carefully considered one12

The deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulatecognitions [thoughts], and direct behavior to achieve a response that

furthers the desired intent of the propagandist13

At this point, you might want to remind students that within the first few months ofbeing appointed Chancellor, Hitler created a Ministry of Public Enlightenment andPropaganda. The United States federal government, like many nations, has ministries (ordepartments) of defense, treasury, and education, but does not have a department ofpropaganda. You might give students the opportunity to consider what the director of aMinistry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda might do? They could write about thisquestion in their journals and/or discuss it with a partner. Under the Nazis, JosefGoebbels, the director of this ministry, attempted to control every piece of informationthe German public was exposed tofrom school textbooks to films to newspapers to the

language used by soldiers.

In this lesson, students will analyze three examples of German propaganda: two postersand a page from a childrens book. There are several ways you could structure studentsanalysis of propaganda. We suggest that you do the first image together as a whole class sothat you can model how to answer questions with specific evidence. You might continueto analyze images as a whole class, or you might have students analyze the other images insmall groups or independently.


6/14

Follow-Through (in class or at home)

After seeing a Nazi propaganda film called The Eternal Jew, a graduate student namedMarion Pritchard* said:

Lesson 11 163

A Four-Step Process for Analyzing Images

(Note: Handout 2 is a worksheet you can use to guide students through this process. Handout3 is an example of an analysis of a page from the childrens book, The Poisonous Mushroom.)

Step one: Description

Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, colors,lines, placement of objects on the page, etc.

Step two: IdentificationRecord basic information about the image. What do you know about it? Who created it?

When? Who do you think was the intended audience? In what format or media was it distrib-uted (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertisement in a newspaper, etc.)?

Step three: InterpretationBased on what you know about this image, what message do you think the creator of this pieceintends to express?

Step four: EvaluationDoes this image utilize lies or misleading information to express its message? If so, how?

In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.

One important point for students to take away from this exercise is that propaganda isdesigned to express an intended message to a particular audience. The effectiveness of the textdepends on how the messenger (creator) was able to use words, pictures, color, and composi-tion to communicate this message. After students interpret the meaning of the images, it isimportant that they evaluate them from an ethical standpoint. Just because a piece of propa-ganda is effective, that does not mean that the text is fair or ethical. Often effective propa-ganda, including Nazi propaganda, uses lies or misleading information to convey ideas. Also,Nazi propaganda is considered unethical by most historians because it was designed to inflictharm. One way you might have students evaluate these images is to ask them to explain whichimage they believe is the most harmful. As students share their answers, you can begin to teaseout qualities that make some examples of propaganda more unethical than others. Finally, youmight end this analysis by having students reflect on the following questions: Based on whatyou know about how the Nazis used propaganda, what do you think that Hitler, Goebbels,and other Nazi leaders believed about how humans react to media (images, newspaper articles,television, blogs, etc.)? Do you think they believed that most people are critical thinkers, capa-ble of making their own judgments? Why or why not? Do you agree with their ideas abouthow people respond to media? Explain your answer.

* Despite these feelings, Marion Pritchard protected the lives of at least 150 Dutch Jews during World War II,risking her own life and safety to do so.


7/14

I had attended it with a group of friends . . . some Jewish, some gentile [non-Jewish].It was so cruel . . . that we could not believe anybody would have taken it seriously, orfind it convincing. But the next day one of the gentiles [non-Jews] said that she wasashamed to admit that the movie had affected her. That although it strengthened herresolve to oppose the German regime, the film had succeeded in making her see Jewsas them. And that of course was true for all of us. The Germans had driven a wedge

in what was one of the most integrated communities in Europe.14

You might end this lesson by sharing this quotation with students and asking them toreflect on how they think propaganda might have influenced their lives. Questions youmight use to prompt students journal writing include: Have you ever felt like MarionPritchard? After seeing a movie or an advertisement or listening to a song, have you everfelt like a message about individuals or groups might stick with you, even though youknew the message is not true?

Assessment(s)

Students responses on handout 2 can be used to evaluate their ability to paraphrase andinterpret a primary source document. Their work on handout 2 and their comments dur-ing class discussion will provide evidence of how students are able to explain how a lawmight impact individual and group behavior. Another way to evaluate students historicalunderstanding is to ask them to describe how the laws passed by Hitler represent theideas in the Nazi Party platform. Finally, in students journal entries and comments dur-ing class discussions, look for students to express a deeper understanding of discrimina-tion. Students should be able to define discrimination as specific laws, policies, or prac-tices that treat individuals differently because of their membership in a particular group,and they should be developing an awareness of how some groups might benefit from dis-criminatory policies while other groups suffer as a result of these same practices.

Extensions

After students have studied Nazi propaganda, give them the opportunity to thinkabout propaganda in their own lives. Students are surrounded by advertisementsand other media that are intended to influence public opinion, and it is a usefulskill for them to be able to interpret and evaluate these texts and images. You canask them to consider how a group to which they belong (gender, race, age, religion,neighborhood, school, nation, etc.) is represented by the media (by a song, a news-paper article, advertisements, etc.). Students can share a specific example, eitherfound on the Internet, in magazines, or on television, and then discuss whether ornot they think this example should be defined as propaganda, based on the defini-tions they developed in class. Students could also organize these examples on a con-tinuum from most ethical to least ethical. Finally, it might be especially illuminatingto include an example of propaganda with a positive message, such as a public serv-ice announcement for recycling or voting. Then you can have students analyze theseimages using the same four-step process they used during this lesson.

The German Propaganda Archive (http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/) postsother examples of propaganda, including speeches, posters, and political cartoons.

You can search their collection for other images to use during this lesson or for stu-dents to analyze for homework. If you want to spend more time teaching your stu-dents about how to analyze propaganda, the Institute for Propaganda includes a listof propaganda techniques and other helpful resources.

Lesson 11 164


8/14

Purpose: To deepen understanding of propaganda and develop students ability to interpret media. 165

Lesson 11: Handout 1, Document 1

The caption on this poster reads: Healthy Parents Have Healthy Children.

Nazi Propaganda


9/14

This is a page from a German childrens book calledDer Giftpilz (The Poisonous Mushroom)published in 1938. The text under the picture reads, Just as it is often very difficult to tell thepoisonous from the edible mushrooms, it is often very difficult to recognize Jews as thievesand criminals. . . .

Nazi Propaganda




10/14

The words on this poster read, Youth Serves the Fhrer: All Ten-Year-Olds into theHitler Youth.

Nazi Propaganda




11/14

Lesson 11: Handout 2

Nazi Propaganda: Image Analysis Worksheet

Step one: Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, colors,lines, placement of objects on the page, etc.

Step two: Identify basic information about this image. What do you know about it?

1. Who created it?

2. When?

3. In what format or media was it distributed (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertisement

in a newspaper, etc.)?

4. Who do you think was the intended audience?

Step three: Interpret this image.

What do you think it means? What message do you think the creator of this piece intends to express?

Provide specific evidence from the image to support your ideas.

How do you think this message might have influenced the attitudes and actions of women, men, and

children living in Germany?

Step four: Evaluate this image. Does this image utilize lies or misleading information to express itsmessage? If so, how? In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.



12/14

Nazi Propaganda: Sample Analysis of Document 2

Step one: Describe what you see in as much detail as possible. List information about images, lines,placement of objects on the page, etc.

Teenage girl and young boy, both with blond hair and carrying baskets. Boy and girl in a forestfour tree trunks and leaves in the background, grass and mushrooms on

the ground. Boy is facing the girl, girl is above boy looking at him. The boy is holding up a mushroom. The girls finger is pointed at the mushroom. The sky in the background is overcast. The mushroom is in the center of the image, and it is also in the gap between the four trees.

Step two: Identifybasic information about this image. What do you know about it?1. Who created it? Julius Streicher, a Nazi and founder of a newspaper2. When? 19383. In what format or media was it distributed (for example, as a poster, a book, a film, an advertise-

ment in a newspaper, etc.)? Childrens book calledThe Poisonous Mushroom4. Who do you think was the intended audience? Children and parents

Step three: Interpret this image. What do you think it means? What message do you think the creator of this piece intends to

express? Provide specific evidence from the image to support your ideas.

I think Streicher was trying to warn German children that the Jews may not appear dangerous, but they reallyare. The whole scene looks very innocent. It takes place in nature. The children are well-dressed, but not too

fancy, and they both look like the ideal Aryan German (blond with fair skin). They appear to be on a niceouting to pick mushrooms. Streicker draws your attention to the mushroom by placing it in the middle of theimage. Your attention is further directed at the mushroom because the girl is pointing to it and because both

the girl and the boy are looking at it. The mushroom looks like a regular mushroom, just like the ones on theground. But the caption and the name of the book lets you know that the mushroom is really poisonous. Also,from the girls expression and the way she is pointing it looks as if she is warning the boy about somethingrelated to the mushroom. From the caption, we know that the mushroom is supposed to represent the Jews.This image expresses the idea that innocent Germans must be warned about the Jews because even though the

Jews may blend in and appear harmless, they can actually inflict harm on Germany.

How do you think this message might have influenced the attitudes and actions of women, men,and children living in Germany?

This image might have caused German children and their parents to fear their Jewish neighbors. Even if theJews they know have not done anything wrong, children reading this book may believe that Jews are only pre-

tending to be good, but that they are really evil. This image might have influenced German parents who werereading this book to their children. They might have thought that they needed to protect their children from

Jews. Also, this image makes the audience think of Jews not as people, but as a poisonous plant that must begotten rid of.




13/14

Nazi Propaganda: Sample Analysis of Document 2 (continued)

Step four: Evaluate this image. Does this image utilize lies or misleading information to express its mes-sage? If so, how? In your opinion, does this image express a positive or a negative message? Explain.

This image is unethical because it uses lies to express a negative message. Jews are not thieves or criminals andthey were not trying to harm Germany. They just wanted to live their lives like any other Germans. Most Jewscontributed to Germany in positive waysby volunteering in the army, working as teachers or doctors, andeven as famous scientists and artists. So, this image was spreading lies about Jews and that is unfair. Thisimage is also an unethical example of propaganda because it was intentionally designed to provoke fear, preju-dice and hate.




14/14

Notes

1 Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, trans. Ralph Manheim (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1943), 63233.2 Goebbels and The Big Lie, Jewish Virtual Library website,

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/goebbelslie.html (accessed January 13, 2009).3 Mfonobong Nsehe, The Adolf Hitler Book: Essays, Speeches, and Quotations from Adolf Hitler (Seattle:

CreateSpace, 2008), 474.4

Max von der Grn, Howl Like the Wolves: Growing Up in Nazi Germany (New York: William Morrow,1980), 76.5 Margot Stern Strom, Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior(Brookline: Facing

History and Ourselves National Foundation, 1994), 215.6 Horst Krger, A Crack in the Wall: Growing Up Under Hitler(New York: Fromm International Publishing

Corporation, 1982), 17.7 David Lloyd George, I Talked to Hitler, Daily Express(London), 17 November, 1936.8 George Sabine, History of Political Theory(London: G. Harrap, 1950), 884.9 Media Literacy: A Definition . . . And More, Center for Media Literacy website,

http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/rr2def.php (accessed January 13, 2009).10 Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, propaganda, (accessed January 13, 2009).11 Concise Oxford English Dictionary, propaganda, as quoted on Media Literacy Clearinghouse website,

http://www.frankwbaker.com/progaganda.htm (accessed January 13, 2009).12 Dr. Anthony Pratkanis as quoted in Daniel Goleman, Voters Assailed by Unfair Persuasion, New York

Times, October 27, 1992, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DCI33AF934A15753CIA9649582608&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod-permalink(accessed January 13, 2009).

13 Garth Jowett and Victoria ODonnell, Propaganda and Persuasion, as quoted on Medial LiteracyClearinghouse website, (accessed January 13, 2009).

14 Marion Pritchard as quoted in The Courage to Care, ed. Carol Rittner and Sondra Myers (New York: NewYork University Press, 1986), 28.

171