Date Approved
2011
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department or School
History and Philosophy
Committee Member
Steven Ramold, PhD., Chair
Committee Member
Ron Delph, PhD.
Committee Member
James Holoka, PhD.
Abstract
This thesis examines Nazi propaganda’s overall effectiveness during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s through the end of World War II in 1945. Historians have had mixed opinions of the overall potency of the propaganda. The questions in consideration are why Nazi propaganda received so much support from the Nazi leadership if it didn’t work and whether or not it was a primary reason Germany continued to resist until the end of the war. Using the diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, soldiers’ letters from the front lines, the propaganda itself, and a variety of secondary sources, this work investigated these questions and found that propaganda was indeed influential throughout the duration of the Third Reich. Three primary elements were effective: indoctrination, anti-Soviet propaganda, and the intense media deification of Hitler that came to be known as the Hitler Myth.
Recommended Citation
Stout, Michael J., "The effectiveness of Nazi propaganda during World War II" (2011). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 314.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/314