Existing comment:
Adolf Hitler and Nazi Propaganda
The Nazi Party's success in the final years of the German republic was due in significant part to the appeal of its leader, Adolf Hitler, and its political messages. The Austrian-born Hitler joined the party in September 1919 at age 30 and quickly rose through its ranks, becoming its first director of propaganda. His skills as a public speaker increased the party's profile and attracted new members. Thousands of listeners came to hear Hitler's fiery speeches denouncing the young German republic, blaming Germany's Jews for the nation's problems, and condemning the Versailles Peace Treaty (1919) that had compelled Germany to admit guilt for causing World War I, surrender territory, and pay massive reparations to the victorious Allied powers.
Although Hitler relinquished his position as propaganda director in 1926, his ideas about political messaging continued to influence Nazi strategy until 1945. |