The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda

The appeal of the Nazi party is one of the most closely studied issues in European history. Its success has often been attributed to a highly successful propaganda machine: the parades, uniforms, bands and marches which so excited the German public. David Welch contends that although propaganda played an important part in mobilizing support for the Nazis, propaganda alone could not have sustained the Nazi party and its ideology over such a long period of time. His argument stems from a belief that in order to be successful, propaganda must preach to the partially converted. This book arrives at a number of controversial conclusions about the nature of Nazi propaganda and its effectiveness - as well as its limitations. Writers and historians on the subject have generally assumed that Nazi propagandists invariably achieved their goals. By examining Nazi propaganda in the light of wider interpretative questions about the Third Reich such as the restructuring of the media, the use of terror, the need for racial purity and Hitler's "charismatic" leadership, Welch challenges these assumptions and argues that in many ways Goebbels' propaganda machine was a failure.