Mein Kampf
While Aldolf Hitler was in prison for the arrest of trying to overthrow the government in Munich, he dictated his ideals for the Nazi party. Hitler was still not very known and the Nazi party was starting to disappear with him in jail. While the Mein Kampf was not regarded largely by many, it contained many of the ideas that followed the Nazi party into the 1930s and 1940s.
In Volume 1, Chapter 6, Hitler accounts his ideas of war propaganda. In section 1, Hitler says "function of propaganda does not lie in the scientific training of the individual, but in calling the masses' attention" conveying that war propaganda should be in focus of the group and not the single person. More than once, Hitler refers to the "art of propaganda", seeing propaganda as a skill that one must obtain in order to be successful. He says that propaganda needs to hit an emotional aspect and be believable (sections 2, 3). Another point that Hitler makes is that "effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan" (section 4). He wants to convey that the message of the propaganda should be precise and to the point, for if it tries to be "many-sided", it will lose the attention of the people. In addition to that, he points out that the function of propaganda is "not to ponder the rights of different people" (section 7), but instead to focus in on one argument and stick with it. Hitler seemed to have his approach to succeeding the Nazi party lined up, and propaganda was a very important part of it.
In Volume 1, Chapter 10, Hitler explains the causes of collapse. The first point that Hitler makes is that Germany's loss of WWI is to blame for the "present evil" (section 9). In sections 11 & 12, Hitler even goes so far to say that the Jewish should take some of the blame -- "their whole existence is based on one single great lie, to wit, that they are a religious community while actually they are a race - - -and what a race!" He then goes on explaining the "poison" that the German press and government injected into the people pre-War. He asks questions about how it was considered okay for a state to do such things to their people. In section 21, this chapter takes a "positive" twist when Hitler writes "I believe that the present generation, properly led, will more easily master this danger." I think it's especially important that he said "properly led", basically implying that with governing from someone like himself, there could be success.
In Volume 1, Chapter 11, Hitler focuses, once again, on nation and race. In sections 22 and 23, he writes about the importance of pure breeding, what he called "racial purity" in hopes in the delimitation of various other races. Speaking again on pure breeding, Hitler gives an example of the success of this in section 26, "The Germanic inhabitant of the American continent, who has remained racially pure and unmixed, rose to be master of the continent; he will remain the master as long as he does not fall a victim to defilement of the blood". I think it's particularly interesting in the last section of this chapter where Hitler says "The lost purity of the blood alone destroys inner happiness forever, plunges man into the abyss for all time, and the consequences can never more be eliminated from body and spirit."
In Volume 1, Chapter 14, Hitler speaks of "Eastern Orientation and Eastern Policy". He presses the importance of Germans staying strong and holding their ground (aka land). He says that Germans must "secure their land and soil" (section 30). Not only must they retain their land, but also expand it. In section 32, he speaks of German "take over", stating that Germany must be "a world power or there will be no Germany."
I think that throughout the entire Mein Kampf (the sections that I read), Hitler proposes his own sort of propaganda. He keeps his ideals straight forward and stays confident in what he says. Any deceived reader during his time could most likely be persuaded with time.
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