Nazi Racial Education Wall Charts

I've added a page of educational wall charts on racial issues. These were widely used in schools during the Nazi era. My copy does not have the anti-Semitic charts that came with the package. The Nazis promoted having as many children as possible, arguing that Germany faced extinction if the birthrate did not increase, and that it would be better off without various "inferior" types of people.

Hitler Speaks in Gera (1931)

The Illustrierter Beobachter, the Nazi Party's illustrated weekly, gave extensive coverage to Nazi activities. This article, from September 1931, reports on a Hitler visit to Gera.

Color Photographs from 1933

Since most pictures of the Third Reich are in black and white, it is easy to forget how colorful a phenomenon it was. I've added a page from a "bestseller" of the early years of Nazi Germany with a collection of photographs in color. I think the pictures were actually taken in black and white, since some of them pre-date the introduction of color film, but I don't know much about the process. Should any reader know more, I'd appreciate being informed.

Two examples. The first shows Hitler with the "Blood flag," carried during the Beer Hall Putsch of 1933. It was probably the most "sacred" Nazi relic. The second shows Horst Wessel, the author of the party's hymn, at the head of an S.A. column at the 1929 Nuremberg Rally.

Hitler Youth Training Material

The various sub-groups of the Hitler Youth were often led by those hardly older than those in their charge, following the policy that "youth should lead youth." These people needed to know what they were to say. I've added a page with covers of material they received.

Nazi Anti-Semitic Speaker Information from 1935

I've added a lengthy translation of Nazi speaker information on the Jews from the fall 1935. The Nazis had a large staff of speakers who were regularly supplied with information on what they were to say in their speeches. Such material is an excellent source as to what the Nazis wanted the general public to hear.

This material presents Nazi anti-Jewish measures as moderate and reasonable, something the Jews had no right to complain about. Reality was rather different.

Peculiar Uses of the German Propaganda Archive (I)

Although this blog is primarily intended to provide information on additions to the site, every now and then I won't be able to resist noting peculiar uses to which people put the material.

The recent election was a case in point. A variety of sites decided that Obama and his followers were using a Nazi salute. They took this picture from the GPA:



and decided that the Obama campaign had adapted it:



At least a dozen blogs copied this dubious post. To suggest that in looking for a salute Obama turned to a a gesture used occasionally by Hitler is, to put it mildly, a bit of a stretch.

On the other side of the political divide, bloggers sometimes decide that the Republicans are the new version of the Nazis. This post, for example, decided that the Republicans have been using the methods of Nazi propaganda. According to the blogger, "The more you read, the more you will see uncanny parallels to the NeoCons and today’s Republican Leadership. It also employs methods that have been seen in the religious sectors of the Right Wing." Now, the problem is that the techniques of propaganda tend to be rather widely used. It wouldn't be at all hard to find parallels to Obama's campaign as well.

Both postings, I think are examples of Godwin's Law. In its original formulation, it stated:"As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." These days, it applies to the Internet in general. The Nazis are the ultimate villains, so what better accusation can one make against one's enemies than that they are, basically, Nazis?

I doubt that this contributes greatly to political discussions.

The German Democratic Republic and Religion

I have a student working on East German propaganda about religion this year, which will result in a series of additions to the GPA. As Marxists, the GDR's propagandists were atheists, but a respectable percentage of the population retained ties to Christianity. What to do about that?

The first page I've added has the official definitions of "atheism" from the Kleines politisches Wörterbuch of 1967 and 1988. In 1967, the treatment of religion is entirely negative. In 1988, it is still negative, but there is now room for those with religious beliefs (outdated though their worldviews may be).