German Propaganda
James Sterrett
10/7/2026
World War Two
German Propaganda
Nazi Propaganda During World War Two
Nazism was a cancer on Europe: it led to tens of millions of deaths and genocide. The German Nazism’s tried to use propaganda to intimidate enemies and smother dissent. Nazi propaganda was also used to expand the Nazi state. Nazi photos were also used to increase support for Nazism. Nazi propaganda during World War II attempted to smother dissent, expand Nazism, and draw support for Nazism.
The Nazis tried to overwhelmingly crush their opposition and recruit people to their side. An example of Nazi propaganda intimidating enemies and smothering dissent is this image of the Germans taking over Czechoslovakia. #_ftn1 This photo shows how the Germans believed in their divine right to rule, and this image shows their seemingly overwhelming power.#_ftn2 The next image is of the German army, an overwhelmingly large army.#_ftn3 It also shows the rise of Hitler and Nazi diplomacy. These primary source photos show how the Nazi government worked according to the way Hitler wanted people to think it was.
The Germans tried to expand the German state and keep domestic popularity high with propaganda. The Germans show a German soldier defending the outskirts of Nazi Germany, evoking a nationalist response.#_ftn4 This shows the implication of nationalism and militarism that the Nazi’s and trying to showcase. Propaganda in Germany was particularly misleading and evil. Propaganda in Germany typically shows the “superior German” as its main focus.#_ftn5 This photo shows that the Germans still rode on horseback for ceremonial ceremonies even though the tank had long existed. Additionally, this photo is important because it shows the vast depths of the Nazi German army. Nazi Germany was an evil state, and its propaganda was used to smooth tensions at home and increase tensions abroad.
Nazi propaganda was used to boost support at home and win friends abroad. Nazi propaganda was so indoctrinating that many German citizens in Nazi Germany believed they were winning until almost the end of the war; this boosted/protected support for Nazi Germany. This photo shows the Nazi soldiers being “honored” at a parade and boosted.#_ftn6 This shows the Germans' propaganda was used to invoke nationalism and support for Nazi Germany.#_ftn7 These photos show the full extent of Nazi propaganda and how it invoked nationalism and belief in “German Superiority”.
Nazi propaganda in Germany was used to invoke nationalism, protect German interests, protect the German military, increase German pride, increase belief in “German superiority,” and increase domestic support and international support for Nazism. Nazi propaganda was used to increase German and Aryan nationalism in Germany, which increased support for the war effort and increased their chances of winning the war. It was also designed to limit domestic unrest and dissent against Nazi Germany and its active Holocaust. Germans had a belief in “German superiority” and “Aryan superiority”. This would be completely not be okay today, however it was run by an evil state that persecuted multiple Holocausts.
Bibliography:
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "Shortly after the German advance into Bohemia and Moravia, the Führer traveled by car to Prague. The Führer greeted troops entering the city of Prague." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 7, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7197fb10-c601-012f-2448-58d385a7bc34
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "At the invitation of the Reich government in Berlin, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union and concurrent People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov joined with the Reich government..." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 7, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/75bff8d0-c601-012f-4cbf-58d385a7bc34
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "On the borders and fronts of the wintry, Christmas-season Reich, the Wehrmacht keeps a sturdy watch. The self-assurance and determination of this nameless guard-post doing its hard duty flows in strength through the whole German people. With the same feelings of assurance and resolution, Greater Germany moves into the New Year." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 7, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/76affca0-c601-012f-1e4f-58d385a7bc34
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "The deserving soldiers of the Slovakian Army being decorated by Slovakian General Catlos." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 7, 2026. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/74bc4140-c601-012f-
Footnotes:
#_ftnref1 The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, New York Public Library, “Shortly after the German advance into Bohemia and Moravia, the Führer traveled by car to Prague. The Führer greeted troops entering the city of Prague,” New York Public Library Digital Collections, accessed October 7, 2026, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/7197fb10-c601-012f-2448-58d385a7bc34.
#_ftnref2 Ibid.
#_ftnref3 The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, “[At the invitation of the Reich government in Berlin, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union and concurrent People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov joined with the Reich government],” New York Public Library Digital Collections, accessed October 7, 2026, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/75bff8d0-c601-012f-4cbf-58d385a7bc34
#_ftnref4 The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library, “On the Borders and Fronts of the Wintry, Christmas-Season Reich, the Wehrmacht Keeps a Sturdy Watch,” New York Public Library Digital Collections, accessed October 7, 2026, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/76affca0-c601-012f-1e4f-58d385a7bc34
#_ftnref5 The New York Public Library, “On the Borders and Fronts of the Wintry, Christmas-Season Reich.”
#_ftnref6 The New York Public Library, “The Deserving Soldiers of the Slovakian Army Being Decorated by Slovakian General Catlos,” New York Public Library Digital Collections, accessed October 7, 2026.
#_ftnref7 New York Public Library, “The Deserving Soldiers of the Slovakian Army Being Decorated.”
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