explain why the Nazi propaganda was effective in creating a hatred for Jews
Answers
Nazi propaganda was effective in creating hatred for the Jews because:
(i) Nazi hatred of Jews had a precursor in traditional Christian hatred of Jews.
(ii) Many in Germany blamed the Jews for defeat in World War I and for all the miseries of the German people.
(iii) Germany was faced with economic crises which were accentuated by the Great Economic Depression. This led to high unemployment and price rise. The Jews were mainly involved in trade and money lending activities and constituted the affluent section of society. Nazi projection of Jews as pests and rodents living off society struck a chord with the deprived and the unemployed.
(iv) Jews lived separately in marked areas called ghettos they therefore became easy targets.
(v) Through the effective use of propaganda, images of Jews were stereotyped, mocked and abused. Example: Propaganda films were made to create hatred for the Jews. The most famous was 'Eternal Jews'.
The propaganda machinery cut across all sections and ages of society. It worked on the minds and emotions of the people.
Hitler used his propaganda to spread the ideas of national socialism which included racism, anti-seminitism and anti-bolshevism.
Through his propaganda Hitler mainly targeted the Jew people. The hatred for Jews in current times is called as the modern seminitism. Hitler successfully created hatred for Jews in the hearts of German people by giving the following reasons:
● Jews were sub-humans and the Aryan race was the ultimately superior race of humans.
● Jews were regarded as the low-life or the untouchable rots.
● Jews were blamed for all the difficulties that Germans were facing at that time.
● Jews were also blamed for the defeat of Germany in World War 1.