Totalitarian states control the arts, film and media, they serve the needs and interests of the ruling elite or individual. In the capitalist states art often serves the ambitions of the opponents of Government. There are some visual images which show weakness, however, Stalin’s and Hitler’s visual images show strength.

The aims of the propaganda schemes were primarily based upon increasing nationalism and mobilization of mass support. It has to be encapsulating, however although encapsulating, the Nazis had to prove its policies were to be pursued once in power “The first task of Propaganda is to win adherents to the idea” (HITLER.)

The propaganda which the Nazis published was to show the mythologized vision of the condition and fate of the nation. Anti-Semitism was a major part of the Nazi ideals, these ideals were advertised in ’Mein Kampf’.

“What Hitler said mattered far more then how he said it”( RAINER ZITELMANN). Hitler’s theories on propaganda were that repeating and drilling his ideas upon society would eventually stabilise his position within Governm

Professionals have called propaganda the ‘Forth front of Warfare’, comparing its strategic importance to military campaigns, diplomatic negotiations and economic sanctions. No one has claimed that the tide of conflict has been turned solely by leaflets, radio broadcasts, posters, or psychological ploys, but there is little doubt that propaganda has been a powerful weapon in the arsenal of war. During World War II, propagandists exhorted citizens at home to produce more, keep their lips sealed, and hate the enemy; at the front they sought to strengthen the morale of their own troops and weaken the enemies will to fight. Each major belligerent had its propaganda strategy. The Nazis idealized the Aryan superman and blamed Jews, bankers and Bolsheviks for the worlds ills. The Soviets invoked the nationalist image of Mother Russia as the fecund source of their own power to repel the invaders. The Visual Arts contributed greatly to the support and reorganisation of Germany and the Soviet Union. Although the Visual arts did not succeed in keeping the morale and support of the nations completely it served its purpose in the rise of each candidate and throughout the beginning of each reign.

Whereas the Nazis, as well as Mussolini’s Fascists, presented themselves essentially as warriors, and attempted by a continuous show of force-military parade, rallies, and bellicose speeches - to terrify the rest of Europe into submission (e.g. the effect of the Nazi film Baptism of Fire on Norway and the Low Countries 1940), the Soviets always posed as men of peace. Hitler and Mussolini were forever strutting about in uniform; but the Russian leaders, on the few occasions they showed themselves outside the Kremlin, appeared dressed in their neat dark suits and trilby hats, the personification of civilian propriety. Indeed the Soviets’ appropriation of the word “peace” is one of the most remarkable propaganda achievements of our time. They took possession of it completely, arrogated it as it were to their exclusive use. To most people, for example, the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1940 was “war”. But to Soviet propagandists it was “A rectification of frontiers to protect the pacific Soviet state against an attack on the Western Imperialist Warmongers”.

The cinema was Goebbel’s special child, he was quick to realise that this new art form could reach a far broader audience than books or theatre. The notion of thousands of adult men and women all cooped up in the dark, staring at the same image on the silver screen for hours on end appealed to his sense of uniformity. Also, the film with its well-worn clichés-suspense, adventure, love, crime, murder - could be addressed to the lowest common denominator of the human intellect. Within two years Hitler had supplied 70,000 schools with motion picture projectors. The cinema attendance in schools increased from 650,000 children in 1934 to 3 million in 1939. Two hundred and twenty-seven films were produced for schools. Concurrently -with the cinema as a means of visual propaganda - appeared the poster. This apparently simple form of advertisement played a greater part in the Nazi’s rise to power than is generally recognized. Goebbel’s propagandists knew that visual impressions are extremely strong, that people may forget newspaper articles, but not a picture - if they see it often and the message is obvious. In this respect the poster had certain advantages over other forms of propaganda. Done in 1932, one poster depicts the “Aryan” fighting to bring the Nazi movement to power. The other prominent poster designer of the Third Reich was Ludwig Hohlwein, one of Germany’s leading commercial artists. Unlike Mjolnir, he idealized the fair-haired youth so admired by Nazis. The same principles of propaganda posters held good for postage stamps. The stamp reaches an even larger public then the poster. That the Nazis appreciated this form of p

Some topics in this essay:
War Goebbels, Civil War, Soviet Stamps, Red Army, Nazis Sports, Stalin’s Hitler’s, Soviet War, Powers Hitler, Army Illustrated, War II, visual arts, world war, war posters, civil war, soviet union, red army, mother russia, constant repetition, visual images, soviet propaganda,