Existing comment:
Tyranny and Propaganda in Nazi Germany
Soon after becoming chancellor, Hitler used the power of the state and the party's paramilitary units, the SA and SS, to intimidate, brutalize, and persecute political opponents. In less than six months, Germany's democracy was destroyed. The government was transformed into a one-party dictatorship, and basic civil rights -- such as the freedoms of expression, press, and assembly -- were suspended. Police authorities established concentration camps to imprison those deemed to be "enemies of the state," and the regime immediately began implementing anti-Jewish policies.
Nazi propaganda in the Third Reich served a rather different function than in the German republic. With all other political parties outlawed and a dictatorial regime in place, the Nazi Party no longer had to contest elections. Instead, the regime's propagandists concentrated on winning over the 60 percent of Germans who had not supported Hitler and on building national consensus for Hitler's domestic and foreign policies. |