Existing comment:
The Weapons of Dictatorship: Controlling the Media
When Hitler came to power in 1933, Germany was a world leader in mass communications. It produced more newspapers than any other European nation, and it was a pioneer in the development of both radio and television. Its internationally acclaimed film industry ranked among the world's largest.
Within months of Hitler becoming chancellor, the Nazi regime destroyed the country's free press. It shut down hundreds of opposition newspapers, forcibly transferred Jewish-owned publishing houses to non-Jews, and secretly took over established periodicals. Daily directives from the government's new Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda dictated what could or what could not be published under punishment of reprimand, loss of position, or imprisonment. Oversight of radio, film, newsreels, theater, and music fell directly to the Propaganda Ministry, which used these media to sell Nazi ideology. |