Images of Control Progaganda in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia
One of the greatest revolutions in the twentieth century was not political in nature. It however aided in many different political revolutions. This revolution was the communications revolution. The twentieth century has experienced one of the greatest changes in mean of communication including technologies such as radio, television, motion pictures, advanced telecommunications and the Internet. These technologies have been used to fulfill the purposes of many. Some who wished to use this technology to influence other people. A term commonly used to describe the use of media to convince or persuade other people of a certain idea or cause is propaganda. Political leaders often use techniques of propaganda, as the goal of politicians is to convince people that their ideas supercede those of others. Two examples of propaganda being used extensively during the twentieth century is by the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi) in Germany from 1933 - 1945 and by the Communist government led by Josef Stalin in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1929 - 1953. In examining these two states and their use of propaganda, it can be seen that although both state had radically different ideologies, certain trends in their
Triumph Des Willens. Dir. Leni Riefenstahl Berlin: NSDAP - Reichspropaganda Abteilund, 1934 Britain Alone. Videotape. London: BBC TV [1980]. 20min. In a totalitarian state it is very useful to have the leader viewed as a god. If the people of the nation idolize their leader then they will probably support him or her in their efforts and they will also become very nationalistic. An example of this is in footage taken in Berlin in 1940 when Adolf Hitler returns to his capital after successfully conquering a large portion of Western Europe. Large crowds are seen gathered in the streets to greet their leader. Hitler drives by in a car creating a frenzy of devoted German citizens cheering "Heil Hitler" (Britain Alone, 1980, BBC TV). In creating a demigod out of their leader, Nazi leaders successfully converted the population over to their cause. Weather or not the whole population adored their Fuhrer cannot accurately be determined. The propaganda was, however, successful enough to keep most of the population under control for the duration of Nazi rule. Unquestionable devotion can also be seen in the many party rallies held in Nuremburg. One of these rallies was captured on film by Nazi propagandists and was widely shown in German cinemas. This film is titled Triumph Des Willens and was produced in 1935 with Leni Riefenstahl directing and features the Fuhrer himself (Welch, 1983, p. 147). This film has been regarded as the greatest propaganda film of all time (Maltin, 1995, CD-ROM). The film was carefully staged to present Adolf Hitler as a god and to present the glories of the National Socialist revolution and the newly founded Third Reich. The film has many long scenes of marching troops and endless formations Hitler Youth, SA, SS, and German workers. Constant themes throughout the film are positioning Hitler above everything else, the constant image of the swastika and other Nazi party symbols and the pride and superiority of the Aryan race. Hitler's speeches stress unity and strength of the German people. This is probably the best film footage of the Third Reich at the peak of its glory. One can see how an individual can become so easily influenced when presented with such a sense of purpose, order and unity. Maltin, Leonard "Triumph of the Will" Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1995 [CD-ROM]. Dutton Signet, 1994. Bonnel, Victoria E. Iconography of Power: Soviet Political Posters under Lenin and Stalin Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Eternal Jew, Socialist Republics, Communist Russia, , Third Reich, Germany Russia, BBC TV, War II, Childhood Stalin, Five Plans, bonnell 1997, national socialist, welch 1983, jewish people, twentieth century, horst wessel, hans westmar, bonnell 1997 figure, 1997 pp, murdered communists, nazi party, bonnell 1997 pp, soviet propaganda 1930s, union soviet socialist, triumph des willens,
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Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
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