Nick Lacey, "Nazi Propaganda"

The article opens with a clear definition of propaganda, explaining that its main purpose is to persuade its audience to a particular political, or religious, point-of-view. It tries to convince that the presented point of view is the correct one and will essentially enlighten and benefit the targeted individual. In history, the individual is treated as a member of a nation, and therefore one of the whole of the mass.

Propaganda, in its definition, is unarguably biased, but can be successfully perceived as reality if believed in, as Lacey writes that "the line between information and propaganda is very narrow". The driving difference is whether its intention is to inform or persuade. This persuasion is accomplished by means of an intellectual and emotional process, attempting to grab the individual as intimately as possible.

Propaganda was crucial for the Nazis during World War II. Joseph Goebbels was deemed the Head of the Ministry for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, and is acknowledged as a key player in the mobilization of Germany into the Holocaust. Tactics included presenting a yearning for "the good old days" and meetings on a massive scale. This was showcased in Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will). The film demonstrated the visual power of propaganda and its emotional impact. The article dissects the film by providing the reader with a screenplay of the opening sequence, presenting the propaganda word by word, and then is followed with an analysis.

The music and iconography signifies a nationalism and militarism, and the old-style lettering of the title suggests a longevity of Nazism. There is a play with angles, positioning the viewer below at first, and then at a "privileged" eye-level. As we "fly" through the clouds with Hitler's plane, we are placed in an exclusiveness, but also are faced with a god-like display of Hitler. When the plane lands, Germans are seen waiting in anticipation for their Fuhrer, and they cheer when he is in view, behaving as if it is indeed their savior.

The article explains that Goebbels preferred feature films because the audience was unaware of the fact that they were watching propaganda. Th films were specifically designed to change attitudes unconsciously.