‘Propaganda was the main method through which Hitler achieved a terror state in the
years 1933 to 1939.’ Assess the validity of this view.
Propaganda was an indispensable method through which Hitler achieved a terror state,
however on its own was arguably not the main method. Both terror and propaganda
were essential factors in the creation of the Terror State and they were interdependent
and indispensable. The cultivation of the ‘Hitler Myth’ and emphasis of pre-existing
‘middle class values’ as put by historian Geary, meant Germans had something to be
passionate about and encouraged the majority to support the Nazis in the first instance.
Once this started to falter with the introduction of new polities that were less appealing
to the ordinary German, the terror system had beene effectively deployed to ensure fear
assured loyalty to the regime. This was simultaneously reinforced by the legal system,
which was swiftly coordinated under Nazi gleichschaltung policy, thereby giving a
veneer of legitimacy to the authoritarian regime. As such, it is most convincing to argue
that propaganda reinforced and justified the terror state, but it was built primarily by
terror and legislation.
Propaganda was very important in encouraging initial conformity to the regime. Through
the Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, led by Joseph Goebbels, the
Nazis censored criticism of the regime whilst using various media to convey party
messages. For instance, in 1935 alone, 1.600 anti-Nazi newspapers were shut down,
and the Nazis used increased radio ownership - rising from 4.3 million to 9 million by
1938 - and consumption of films - 1,000 feature films were produced between 1933-45 -
such as Olympia and Triumph of the Will to propagate ideas of the Fuhrerprinzip and
saturate the public with the Hitler Myth. Propaganda was especially effective where the
messages conveyed overlapped with traditional values of nationalism and
anti-semitism, and this success can be seen with the anti-semitic newspaper Der
Sturmer, which circulated 500,000 copies in 1935. Propaganda was arguably more
effective when targeting the youth, who were radicalised daily in schools and through
Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls; attendance for both groups was made
compulsory in 1939, and given the same status and authority over the youth as schools
and the home, enforcing a diet of racial ideology and concepts like the lebensraum upon
them so that German children would share the Nazi’s convictions and sustain the
regime in the future. However, propaganda was unable to permeate all areas of society.
For instance, the SPD continued to operate underground, with the Red Shock Troop in
Berlin gaining 3,000 members, and the entrenched influence of the Protestant and
Catholic Churches over the people was a challenge to the Nazi’s aim to secure total
loyalty, as shown by the establishment of the dissident Confessional Church in 1934
and the 1937 papal encyclical titled ‘With Burning Grief.’ In this case, where propaganda
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level History 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is prohibited.
years 1933 to 1939.’ Assess the validity of this view.
Propaganda was an indispensable method through which Hitler achieved a terror state,
however on its own was arguably not the main method. Both terror and propaganda
were essential factors in the creation of the Terror State and they were interdependent
and indispensable. The cultivation of the ‘Hitler Myth’ and emphasis of pre-existing
‘middle class values’ as put by historian Geary, meant Germans had something to be
passionate about and encouraged the majority to support the Nazis in the first instance.
Once this started to falter with the introduction of new polities that were less appealing
to the ordinary German, the terror system had beene effectively deployed to ensure fear
assured loyalty to the regime. This was simultaneously reinforced by the legal system,
which was swiftly coordinated under Nazi gleichschaltung policy, thereby giving a
veneer of legitimacy to the authoritarian regime. As such, it is most convincing to argue
that propaganda reinforced and justified the terror state, but it was built primarily by
terror and legislation.
Propaganda was very important in encouraging initial conformity to the regime. Through
the Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, led by Joseph Goebbels, the
Nazis censored criticism of the regime whilst using various media to convey party
messages. For instance, in 1935 alone, 1.600 anti-Nazi newspapers were shut down,
and the Nazis used increased radio ownership - rising from 4.3 million to 9 million by
1938 - and consumption of films - 1,000 feature films were produced between 1933-45 -
such as Olympia and Triumph of the Will to propagate ideas of the Fuhrerprinzip and
saturate the public with the Hitler Myth. Propaganda was especially effective where the
messages conveyed overlapped with traditional values of nationalism and
anti-semitism, and this success can be seen with the anti-semitic newspaper Der
Sturmer, which circulated 500,000 copies in 1935. Propaganda was arguably more
effective when targeting the youth, who were radicalised daily in schools and through
Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls; attendance for both groups was made
compulsory in 1939, and given the same status and authority over the youth as schools
and the home, enforcing a diet of racial ideology and concepts like the lebensraum upon
them so that German children would share the Nazi’s convictions and sustain the
regime in the future. However, propaganda was unable to permeate all areas of society.
For instance, the SPD continued to operate underground, with the Red Shock Troop in
Berlin gaining 3,000 members, and the entrenched influence of the Protestant and
Catholic Churches over the people was a challenge to the Nazi’s aim to secure total
loyalty, as shown by the establishment of the dissident Confessional Church in 1934
and the 1937 papal encyclical titled ‘With Burning Grief.’ In this case, where propaganda
© Humanities Unlocked. | AQA A-Level History 2025 | For personal use only. Redistribution is prohibited.
